Tryst
by Komett
Summary: In a world where magic has opened a gateway to hell and demons plague the land, orphaned girl Konoka is captured and made a prisoner of the damned realm where she is forced to work as one of the royal maids for an attractive demonic princess. KonoSetsu AU
1. Taken

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Negima.

A/N: I like AU fics, so this my attempt at my own. If you like the idea, please let me know and I will continue updating it if people think it's okay :3

Just as a bit of a warning, I've drastically altered the appearance of the Uzoku demons to fit with what I want them to look like, and also one must assume that in this universe Konoka can't cook or do anything remotely helpful in the domestic sense.

Now, onward to thy chapter! :D

* * *

"Ah!"

Konoka hissed in pain, quickly moving to stick her injured fingertip into her mouth to suck off the spot of blood that had welled up from the prick of the pin she was sewing with. Across from her, Madoka snorted and ducked her head, trying to stifle her laughter as the aforementioned girl shot a peeved frown in her direction.

"Konoka, I hate to say it, but you really suck at this. Maybe you should just stick to cleaning, huh? Or perhaps you should learn from the kitchenhands? Either way, you're... uhh..."

Madoka paused to let her eyes linger on the other girl who was awkwardly grasping a garment and attempting to sew the hem, which had thus far only managed to cause her numerous tiny pin wounds and an atrociously stitched lace collar that had been attached crookedly.

"... Well, you're just not cut out for fabric work, Konoka."

Sighing and pouting, the sepia-eyed girl tossed her project onto the back of a chair and shifted on the old wooden stool she was seated, tossing chocolate-brown hair over her shoulder and groaning despondently.

"I'm not cut out for anything, you mean."

"Ohh don't be that way! Look, everyone comes here without any skills to begin with, but that's why we practice until we find what we're good at~!"

Konoka looked up at the optimistic girl who was still sewing away on her work and she shook her head disbelievingly with a cynical smile.

"Yes, people who _first_ come here have no skills... I've been here for three years now and I'm **still **useless!"

"Oh Konoka, that's not what I -"

"It's true though! I-I can't do anything domestic at all! I can't cook, I can't clean, as we just saw I can't even _sew_... Grr!"

"Hey, you can do that freaky wacko thing with your hands, right?"

The frustrated girl stopped short her whining and blinked at Madoka's words. Then she smiled sadly again.

"Well yeah but people like us can never be discovered anyway, so all the magic in the world is pretty useless to me as a career choice, you know."

Madoka stopped working and peered over at her friend who was sitting with her feet up on the stool and her arms wrapped around her legs. The seamstress-in-training couldn't help but smile sympathetically at the downcast girl as her eyes trailed over Konoka's off-white tunic - the standard garb amongst all the children staying in the orphanage - and landed on the small black pouch haphazardly tucked into her belt.

She was curious, always had been curious, about the black satin item Konoka had carried around with her for as long as Madoka had known her, but never once pried about it. For one thing, Konoka wasn't the kind of person who handled pestering very well. She was quite a cheerful girl, _strange girl_ as a lot of the children staff members called her, and as far as she was aware Madoka was her sole friend.

It led her to wonder just how Konoka got by on her own in here, before Madoka herself arrived a year ago. From what she had heard, Konoka had grown up without a maternal figure, her mother dying shortly after giving birth to her, and her father a foot soldier in the king's army. A little over three years ago his squad had been declared missing, and the aunt that she was staying with promptly had her dumped at the run-down orphanage where she met Madoka and remained until this day.

The way the so-called 'orphanage' worked was quite simple. The children were taught some form of domestic duty and sold off as slaves to the nobles, freeing up beds and making room for more unfortunate orphans who were dumped by uncaring family members or plucked off the streets by conniving staff members.

As illegal and unfair as it was, the country was war-torn and going through a period where fear and basic instincts ran rampant amongst the lower class, and morals were a thing that was rare to be found. Places like this orphanage were operating all over the country - If anything, Madoka was thankful to have wound up in a slave workshop instead of one of the child prostitution rings she had heard about.

The world really was a sad place, Madoka would think, and she would think about the times she'd previously lived on the streets before being brought here, and she would wonder how a little girl like her managed to survive in a world of men with ill-intentions and the stories of demons that stalked the outskirts of the cities during the night, preying on foolish people who wandered too far.

Shaking her head, Madoka sighed and resumed her sewing. She and Konoka were both going to be 18 winters soon, and as it was the age that they were considered adults, if they hadn't managed to catch the attention of any customers that came by looking for slaves to purchase then they would be abandoned by the orphanage as soon as their birthdays rolled around.

"What about cleaning? Everyone can clean. You can't honestly say you have trouble sweeping a floor, right?"

Madoka tried to lighten her friend's mood with the cheeky statement, and it worked in the sense that Konoka flashed her a tiny smile back before sighing loudly and tilting her head back to gaze at the roof.

"But I hate cleaning! Argh! I think I'd go crazy if I was cooped all day scrubbing some stuffy merchant's carpets or something..."

Madoka chuckled evilly.

"Yes, or heavens forbid you end up a personal handmaid and have to scrub some stuffy merchant's greasy body as he bathed..."

"_M-Madoka_! That's just - Eurgh!"

Laughing openly at her friend's horrified expression, Madoka was startled when the door suddenly slammed open and an old grey maid in a faded dress stormed in, snatching Konoka by the ear and pulling her to her feet as she cried out with a yelp of pain.

"QUIET, GIRL! I told you an hour ago to get down to gardens with the younger lasses and finish hanging out that washing and yet I find you in here making a mess of the fabrics?!"

"I - Ow! I was just helping Kugimiya-san finish these dresses -"

Madoka quickly dropped her eyes to her work as Konoka was sharply whacked across the back of the head, causing her to jerk forward and narrowly avoid tripping on the stool she had been sitting on moments before.

"Look at this disgusting job you did on the hemming! You're useless! Everything you touch gets RUINED! I don't why I keep you around, child, you're a curse!"

Straightening up, Konoka rubbed the back of her head where the blow had landed and nearly stumbled over her own feet as she tried to hurry over to the door.

"Get going! Go and do something productive for once! I'll only have to be stuck with you for a little while longer before you're 18 and no longer a thorn in my side, so I can be rid of you once and for all..."

"It can't come quick enough..." Konoka mumbled to herself under her breath as she swung open the door and left the room, making her way down the filthy dust-covered stairs and out into the back gardens where sure enough about ten younger girls were fervently sifting through enormous towers of laundry and hanging it onto the wire tied from the porch railing to the side of the house, forming a makeshift washing line.

Plastering on a friendly smile, Konoka trudged over towards the nearest basket and wasn't surprised to hear one girl gasp and step backwards from her, abandoning that particular basket in favour for one that was further away from the older girl. She sighed.

It was always like this, the majority of the other children intimidated by her and spread scary stories of her like wildfire, ranging from rumours of her secretly possessing a flying broom and even stories as far-fetched as her apparent ability to kill you with magic merely by looking you in the eye and concentrating.

Of course, it was all ridiculous nonsense. People were scared of Konoka purely due to the whispers that followed her regarding her magical lineage.

And this, she would never admit, was actually true.

Mages were feared and hated by the people, blamed for the plague of the demons that had been brought upon the earth.

Demons, as they were called, were a breed of winged humanoid beasts that appeared many years ago as a result of black magic being performed across the country and going wrong - mages who were unsatisfied with the powers they were naturally given were turning to the darker rites of Satanic rituals and messing around with forbidden magic that they shouldn't have touched.

These mages formed a covert society and named themselves the Occult, and although any affiliation with the group was punishable by law of the king, many secret members continued the practice until one day a calamity occurred as a result of their interferences.

Essentially, a gateway to hell was accidentally ripped through the dimensional boundaries and marked the beginning of mankind's nightmare at the hands of the demons.

Nobody was quite sure where the tear existed, but it wasn't long before the invaders took advantage of it and began to cover the countryside. At first they seemed to ignore the people, more intent on surveying and exploring the land than stopping to fight the terrified armies that had been assembled to eradicate them. But the king pushed on, ordering a decimation of the demon race, which soon prompted them to retaliate.

And unfortunately for the human race the demons were soon discovered to be elite fighters, although human-sized they were near impossible to be brought down with crossbows and swords and their advantage of flight just made them even more formidable a foe.

And no more than few weeks after the fighting broke out, the raids began.

Random towns and cities were swarmed, the young and healthy rounded up and driven out of their homes in the hundreds, and forcefully lead away by the demons to never be seen again.

When Konoka was young, very young, she could vaguely remember her own village being attacked one night. She remembered finding it hard to breath as her father clutched her tightly against his chest, head pressed into his shoulder to keep her quiet, while the pair crouched behind a large set of drawers in the bedroom and their front door was kicked down as the house was searched for people.

She remembered hearing all the noise from outside - Mothers crying and screaming hysterically, begging for their children back. And the anguished yells of fathers and brothers who desperately tried attacking the demons only to be effortlessly slaughtered themselves before the demons took their leave, setting alight numerous buildings and walking off into the night with 60 youths in tow.

Nobody actually knew where the kidnapped were ever taken, and there were many rumours surrounding the mystery with explanations such as the people being used to feed the demon soldiers, and others suggesting that they were taken back through the gateway and into the demon's own world.

While there were rumours abound, nobody knew for fact just what went on as anybody who tried to follow them ended up missing themselves. Everything was left to speculation.

It was after this incident that Konoka's father and some of the remaining men from their village decided to leave the village and join the king in his search for the gateway's location, relying on the slim chance that the hostages were actually kept alive by the monsters they were taken by.

Konoka remembered as Eishun knelt and hugged and kissed her and promised her that he would return to her. And then, she was bundled up into a horse and carriage and taken to her aunt's house in a distant city. By the time Konoka's 14th winter drew close, news of the disappearance of Eishun's group reached the city. Her aunt wasted no time in getting rid of her.

And it's how Konoka found herself at the orphanage, alone and miserable until at least Madoka came along. No matter how kind and friendly Konoka was, no matter how compassionate and caring, as soon as people got wind of her mother's position as a healing mage before she died people would discard Konoka like a diseased rodent.

Which was ultimately why Konoka told nobody except Madoka, not even her own father, about the hidden gift she had discovered when she was little - The ability to restore or rejuvenate whatever she touched.

She discovered it by accident one day out in her father's gardens, playing amongst the flowers. She had gently touched the stem of a dried-out and near dead plant only to watch in awe as life and vitality flooded into it, causing it to stand tall and green amongst it's fellows again.

Konoka soon discovered that this unnatural skill, when she concentrated enough, could be applied to almost any object whether inanimate or living. And, in complete secrecy, she would continuously practice and hone her abilities while growing up.

Upon arrival at the orphanage, she restored the rotting wooden limbs of her unstable bed into fresh, young timber again. She sat outside and healed the stray cats that were cruelly kicked in the head by the frustrated staff members who caught them digging through their trash bins.

And then there was, the entire reason she befriended Madoka, the incident a few weeks after Madoka had just arrived at the orphanage and Konoka found her upstairs in the attic crying after a severe beating at the hands of one of their 'carers.'

Konoka had been quick to summon her powers and immediately dispel the bruises scattered across the other girl's flesh, and after a few initial minutes of freaking out on Madoka's end, the two had become friends and Madoka was sworn to secrecy about Konoka's gift.

Despite this power, Konoka was at heart a kind girl. Unfortunately, even the merest whisper of magic in Konoka's bloodline was enough to scare the other girls and have them scramble away from her like she herself was one of the demons.

Konoka shook her head in exasperation when she looked up to find that the other children had all scuttled off to the far end of the washing line, leaving her to work on an entire mountain of washing on her own.

"Um, excuse me, could some of you guys please come and help me with this one? It's got the most in it and I'm doing it by myself, so..."

Konoka trailed off as she watched the other girls just ignore her words and gather up their now-empty baskets before quickly moving back into the main house. Now alone, Konoka sighed again as she eyed the tower of washing and estimated how much time it would take to finish. When the answer displeased her, she simply sat herself down in the grass and rested her back against the basket, stretching her legs out in the grass and digging her bare toes into the cool soil.

Tilting her head back, she gazed up at the dying sky of the late evening, feeling the once-warm wind become crisper with each breeze that brushed past her skin.

_I suppose supper will be ready soon, I wonder if I'll be able to get back inside without them noticing that I haven't finished the washing..._

Shaking away her thoughts of the orphanage, Konoka cast her mind back to the times where she was a carefree child, her father still there for her and she would play with the children of her village. Most of which, sadly enough, had been taken during her village's invasion and left Konoka unsure if her old friends were even alive still.

Konoka remained sitting out there until the shadows eventually began to creep up along the land, and the lightman came along on his horse and illuminated each streetlamp in preparation for the night, the oil lanterns burning cheerily up on their perches and dotting the streets like numerous little floating orbs of sunlight.

Lost in her thoughts and listening to the crickets' chorus, Konoka was snapped to attention when suddenly the back door was flung open with a bang and one of the mistress' adult sons stepped heavily out onto the porch, gripping the railing unsteadily for support.

"Oi bitch, what the hell are you still doing out here?! And why aren't your chores finished?!"

Scrambling to her feet, Konoka felt herself break out into a cold sweat as a jolt of fear shot itself down her spine.

"I uh, f-forgive me, I was just -"

"GET OVER HERE!"

Konoka remained bolted to the spot, knowing that if she approached the man she was likely to get the living daylights beaten out of her. This particular man, Tosaka-san, was notorious for his foul temper and wasn't anything but heavy-handed with the girls.

"I, I... please, just..."

"I TOLD YOU TO GET HERE, GIRL!"

And throwing himself over the porch railing and landing on his feet, the man broke out into a run directly towards Konoka... who in turn spun around and fled towards the far end of the yard.

"STOP RUNNING AND GET BACK HERE!"

But Konoka was deaf to the man's words as terror and adrenalin had already gripped her, spurring her into flinging herself over the wire fence which encircled the yard and, nearly falling over in the process, made a stumbled landing before taking off down the street.

She heard the loud crashing of either Tosaka jumping the fence as well or merely kicking it - whichever one, Konoka wasn't about to stop and turn back now to see as she continued running down the dark road, the man's infuriated yells promising her death at his hands if he were to ever see her around the orphanage again.

* * *

Now wandering aimlessly around the city, Konoka quickly ducked her head and crossed to the other side of the road as she passed a group of obnoxious, drunk men who whistled loudly in her direction and made lewd comments as they stood on the street corner, drinking. Turning down yet another unfamiliar road, Konoka had to reach her hand up and wipe away a stray tear that had made it's way down her cheek, a combination of the after-affects of her adrenalin rush and the feeling of hopelessness as it dawned on her that she had no clue how to survive out here on her own.

_If only I was as street-smart as Madoka, or Madoka was here with me..._

She sniffled some more as she thought about her friend, knowing that she'll probably never get the chance to see the girl again and didn't even leave with any kind of goodbye.

_I should've just taken my punishment, then I could be inside right now eating supper with the other girls and..._

Hearing stumbling footsteps behind her, Konoka cast a look over her shoulder to find the same group of men walking behind her, laughing to each other and looking entirely too threatening as they followed Konoka down the street.

Ducking her head, Konoka tried to ignore them and walk faster as her heartbeat sped up and for the second time that night a rush of fear coursed through her system. Turning another corner, Konoka gasped as she found herself face to face with the dead-end of an alleyway.

_Oh my god.... Please, don't let this be happening to me..._

"Heeeeyy sweetheart, there you are. We were wondering where you'd gotten to..."

"Yeah! Fer' a while there we were worried we'd scared ya off!

Konoka pressed herself flat against the wall as the men crowded around her, still periodically swigging from the unlabelled bottles they clutched, and one being so bold as to reach out and touch her arm. When she reacted by screaming and knocking their hand away, the men howled with laughter.

"Well boys, we've got a feisty one!"

"It's 'cause she's young, usually it's only the same old skanks working the streets around here..."

"Woooyeah, this one'll make a nice change, eh?"

Konoka, breath coming in strangled sobs as she trembled all-over like a leaf, screwed her eyes shut and burst into tears which only amused them all the more.

"Hey, don't be scared now. It don't hurt, unless you want it to babe..."

"Shuddup you idiot, you couldn't hurt her if you tried with the size of your pathetic little -"

"Hey, who cares if you wanna hurt her or not, I'm having her first!"

Suddenly, there was the loud _thwack _of metal meeting skull and Konoka opened her eyes to see one of the men crumble to the floor. Blinking, Konoka saw the flash of a steel bar in the lamplight as it was swung viciously at another man, who screamed in pain and fell to the ground also, clutching his temple.

"What the f-?! Oi, who the hell do you think you - ARGH!"

And one by one the rest of the men were taken by surprise and felled, until the only ones remaining conscious were Konoka herself and a girl who looked roughly the same age as her with a crowbar clutched tightly in her fist.

After a few moments of staring at each other, the tanned stranger smiled at Konoka and lowered her weapon.

"I thought those men were bothering you, so I stepped in, aru!"

Konoka allowed her heartbeat to return to it's normal rate as she stepped out and flung her arms around the new girl, who blinked in surprise as she was enveloped in the hug.

"Thank god you were here! Those men, t-they...!"

Awkwardly patting Konoka on the back, the girl gently stepped out of the hug and placed her hands on Konoka's shoulders.

"You are alone… Do you have place to stay?" the newcomer enquired softly, tilting her head to the side.

Still teary-eyed, Konoka cast her gaze to the floor sadly and shook her head. She knew better than to try and return to the orphanage now... although she could just heal any damage the staff inflicted on her, she knew that if they saw her doing so, using magic, applying just the barest hint of truth to the rumours of her being a mage, they would probably burn her at the stake in a fear-fuelled frenzy or something equally as reckless.

"Well, my name is Ku-fei aru. You can stay with me if you like... Not a home, only broken cart under the bridge, but at least it can give you shelter for this night, yes?"

Despite the other girl's obvious foreign tone, Konoka couldn't help but smile at the warm offer this girl was extending to her. First she saves her from potential rape, and then she offers her a place to stay... It made Konoka wonder if there really still was some good left in this rotten city.

"Thank you, Ku-fei-san, I'd like that. My name is Konoe Konoka, by the way."

"Pleased to meet you, Konoka-san."

With no other option but to trust this Good Samaritan, Konoka followed her new friend throughout the winding network of alleys and cobblestone streets until at last they reached the enormous bridge that Ku-fei had mentioned.

"It is down here, aru."

Following where the other girl was pointing, Konoka saw a crashed wagon turned on it's side - sheets of metal and wood obviously placed there by Ku-fei in an effort to patch up the holes littering the sides of the former vehicle. Walking over towards the remains of a campfire, the blonde foreigner began working on a fire using a piece of flint and some dry straw.

Curiously inspecting the inside of the shelter, which was cushioned with various strips of fabric and soft items that formed a make-shift bed - rather like a bird's nest - Konoka's attention was pulled away when Ku-fei stepped up beside her after having successfully lit the fire.

"Konoka-san, you are my guest so sit and I bring food."

Nodding gratefully, Konoka sat herself down cross-legged in the sand near the fire's edge and patiently watched as Ku-fei began fishing around in the cart for something. Konoka decided to initiate a conversation.

"So, I assume from your accent that you're not from here, Ku-fei-san. Well, originally at least."

Pulling back with a bundled cloth item in her hands, Ku-fei hummed in confirmation as she sat down across from Konoka with a bright grin on her face and placed her folded handkerchief on the ground before her.

"Yes, I came to this country long time ago after yoma destroy my own."

"Yoma..?"

"Our word for 'monster'." the girl replied nonchalantly as Konoka flinched, realising that the girl was referring to the demons. Ku-fei finished unwrapping her cloth, revealing a few pieces of stale bread nestled carefully inside.

They didn't look particularly appetising to Konoka, with the suspicious blue tinges of mould beginning in the corners, but from the look on Ku-fei's face she could tell it must be quite a treat for the homeless to obtain. Swallowing deeply as Ku-fei began tearing the bread into equal strips for the both of them, Konoka shot her an uncertain look.

"Um, Ku-fei-san, is this normally as little as you eat?"

"Aru, normally I would be one to pick the pockets of men like those ones back there, but even so is rare for one like myself to find more food. Why you ask, Konoka-san?"

"Oh, no reason... it's just that..."

Konoka paused, uncertain if she should help the girl out or not.

_She might attack me if I scare her suddenly like that, but at the same time she just saved me from those men so it's the least I can do to say thanks..._

Curiously watching the conflicting emotions playing out on Konoka's features, Ku-fei temporarily stopped dividing the bread to enquire with concern.

"Konoka? You okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yes I'm fine thank you, but let me do something here..."

Leaning forward, Konoka rested her hand over the food as Ku-fei raised an eyebrow quizzically. Taking in a steady breath, Konoka closed her eyes and concentrated on what lay beneath her palm as she felt the familiar dizzying wave of magic swirling through her veins.

Ku-fei gasped loudly and fell backwards, scrambling back a few feet as a gentle light emitted from Konoka's hand and, before the tanned girl could even blink, the old slices of bread began to swell and stretch into an entire loaf again. With a sharp inhale of breath, Konoka willed the magic to cease as the light blinked out immediately and she was left with a fresh loaf of bread sitting under her palm. Raising her eyes nervously, Konoka glanced up at the astounded expression on Ku-fei's face.

"Konoka... You... You.... _magic?!" _

"Oh, I can use it Ku-fei-san, but I'm not a bad person! I swear! I only use it to help -"

"You are occult member?!"

Feeling a stab of hurt at the other girl's fearful expression, Konoka shook her head adamantly and held out the newly formed loaf, trying to convince Ku-fei that she wasn't dangerous.

"No! No no no! See, I did it to give you better food! I can't even perform any dangerous spells - all I can do is fix things. I swear!"

After a few seconds of panicked hesitation, Ku-fei finally sat upright again and slowly reached out to take the food from Konoka's grasp.

".... Aru, thank you Konoka-san."

The girl scooted forward and broke off a chunk of bread, eyeing it in amazement before looking up at Konoka again.

"This is safe to eat?"

Konoka nodded again and tried to smile reassuringly.

_I really, really don't want to scare her off..._

There was a silence as Ku-fei bit into her first mouthful of food, cautiously swallowing her bite before smiling gently up at Konoka.

"Wow, this really _is _good! Konoka-san, I can't believe you can use magic..."

Konoka laughed nervously and scratched the back of her neck.

"Yeah I don't really use it in public.... a lot of people are scared of it, so I keep it a secret."

Ku-fei nodded through another mouthful before swallowing and speaking.

"Yes, that smart thing to do. Mages are considered bad, here."

"Mhm."

The conversation lapsed into more silence as they both finished the remainder of their dinner, and Konoka couldn't help but notice Ku-fei's eyes stray towards the pouch at her belt numerous times during the night. Finally deciding to call her up on it, Konoka placed her hand over the black bag and pulled it free.

"You're curious about this, Ku-fei-san?"

Startled, and a little embarrassed that she was caught staring at it, Ku-fei grinned sheepishly and twisted her fingers together.

"Ahaha, well, I was just thinking aru... that perhaps Konoka had money in her purse?"

Then, realising how her sentence sounded, the girl frantically waved her hands and tried to take back her words.

"Oh, not like I want to steal! No, I just curious if Konoka was from a rich family maybe? Sorry, I did not mean -"

Konoka interrupted her frantic explanations with a giggle as she fiddled with the black drawstring on the pouch.

"Mah, it's okay Ku-fei-san, I know you didn't mean it that way. I had a friend who was also very curious about why I carry this around everywhere, even though she pretended not to be."

Feeling relieved that Konoka hadn't taken her words as a threat, Ku-fei let out the breath she'd been holding in as she unfolded her legs and stretched them out in the sand, leaning back on her palms.

"So what is in there, Konoka-san?"

Konoka smiled distantly as she looked down at the satin bag in her palm, feeling it's familiar weight and debating on whether or not to tell her new friend what lay inside.

_If she was a bit spooked about my power, then she'll probably freak right out if she knew what was in here..._

"... It's something my mother used to own, before she died. My father gave it to me as a keepsake in her memory."

"Oh, I'm sorry Konoka-san. Did not mean to pry."

Konoka smiled cheerily at the other girl's sympathetic tone and shook her head, holding the bag up.

"No, it's okay Ku-fei-san. She died a few days after I was born, so I never even knew her. I don't really get upset when I think about her anymore."

She paused, her eyes lingering on the bag dangling from her fingertips before moving her gaze and meeting the brown eyes of her companion.

"Ku-fei-san, if.... If you promise you won't run away from me or anything, I can show you what's inside if you like?"

Ku-fei frowned at Konoka's words and tossed a wary glance at the bag.

"Be scared? What is in there? Human knucklebones?"

Konoka stifled a snort of laughter as she held her hand over her mouth before shaking her head.

"No, not anything like _that_. But still, I don't want you to be scared of me if you see them."

Ku-fei hesitated. Obviously if Konoka was giving her a warning, whatever_** they **_were is something she won't like. But on the other hand, her curiosity about it had been stirring all night and now was piqued by Konoka's mysterious words. Allowing her inner self to debate about the issue for a few more moments, the blonde girl finally nodded and eagerly leaned forward. Curiosity had gotten the best of her, it seemed.

Raising her hand, Konoka gently withdrew the string tie on the bag and turned it upside-down, allowing five small objects to drop onto the sand with a muted thud. Ku-fei's eyes widened with disbelief as she once again drew back from the shock.

"_Runestones_?!"

"Yes, apparently my mother used to use them -"

"Konoka, that's bad magic! Evil! Put them away!"

Konoka pouted, reaching out and lifting up one of the smooth, round stones with an arcane symbol ingrained onto the surface in crimson. Holding one of the stones up to Ku, Konoka was stunned when the tanned girl knocked her hand away in horror and pointed at the objects.

"Konoka-san, please! Please put them away!"

Drawing her legs up flat against her chest, Ku-fei lifted one hand to her face and turned her head away, not wanting to look at the forbidden tools of the occult that Konoka had just scattered before her. With a worried expression, Konoka swiftly gathered up the stones and dropped them back into her pouch, drawing it shut tightly and tucking it back into her belt before glancing up at the other girl.

"Ku-fei-san, I'm sorry -"

"Konoka-san, maybe you should go, aru."

Staring at the blonde girl incredulously, Konoka felt a stab of hurt when her companion wouldn't so much as look at her - Ku-fei's eyes were firmly cast at the ground while her fingers were scrunched into the sand.

Opening her mouth to protest, apologise, beg - Konoka quickly snapped it shut and her entire demeanour seemed to shrink as she wordlessly stood up and dusted the sand from her clothes. Casting another sad look in Ku-fei's direction, Konoka took in a shaky breath and thanked her for her hospitality.

"It was very kind of you, Ku-fei-san, everything you did for me tonight. And...."

She paused; blinking back the annoying sting she could feel was welling up in the corners of her eyes.

"And, um, I'm sorry."

When the other girl just nodded her acceptance, still not looking at her, Konoka bit her lip and left the warmth of the fireside as she trekked back up the sandy bank from under the bridge and into the chilly night air again.

Now alone again, Konoka wrapped her arms around herself as she walked down a dead silent street where the lamplights were already beginning to dim and burn out. The material of her clothes was cheap and thin, not offering any comfort against the coolness of the night that sent shivering breezes blowing against her and making her long hair swirl into her face and over her eyes. Irritably tucking her hair behind her ears for the nth time, Konoka continued further down the road and was about to take yet another step when all of a sudden she froze and a realisation hit her.

_The wind... it disappeared...._

Standing dead still, Konoka felt unease wash over her as she confirmed her initial thought, then began to panic a little more when she realised the night had suddenly become dead silent too.

_The crickets have stopped...._

Glancing around nervously, and feeling her instincts beginning to flare and tell her there was _danger_ approaching, Konoka wondered if she should scream out and alert the people in the surrounding houses before a hand suddenly clamped itself over her mouth.

"Scream, and your life ends right here."

Konoka felt the very blood in her veins turn to ice as her eyes widened and a droplet of cold sweat ran down the side of her face. The voice that commanded her was low, deep, and definitely _not human_.

Eyes widened to their limit, Konoka glanced at the hand wrapped around her face and felt the bile rise in her throat when she saw dark, scar-covered flesh with each fingertip ending in a black talon. Unable to breath through her fear, Konoka couldn't control the tiny squeak that welled up from her throat and although it was muffled by the creature's large hand, it was still loud enough to be heard.

The mouth next to her ear released an angry hiss as another hand flew up and wrapped around her throat.

"I told you to be quiet!"

And with one sudden movement, the hand around her mouth was suddenly hovering behind her head where it delivered a sharp blow to the back of her head and she felt to her knees in the street, vision fading into complete black before she'd even hit the ground.

* * *

The feeling of somebody pressing a damp cloth to her forehead was what Konoka first registered as she opened her eyes groggily, blinking into the dim light as a stranger's face came into view.

"Thank goodness! I wasn't sure if you were even going to wake up!"

Trying to speak but realising her throat was completely parched, Konoka made an odd gasping noise as the boy looming above her smacked himself in the head.

"Oh, that's right, you need water!"

And by the time Konoka had sat upright, there was a small ceramic bowl of said liquid being held to her face by the kind-looking young boy with scruffy red hair.

"Drink up miss, you've been unconscious ever since you were brought here, and that was hours ago."

A little bewildered and still unsure of her surroundings, Konoka slowly took the bowl from the boy's grasp and drank deeply, eyes trailing around the room as she did so. It was more of a stable than a room, she decided, as her sights took in a gigantic room bare only except for the straw that covered the floor and clumps of hay bundled in the corners where people were resting on like makeshift beds.

There were a lot of people - Some young, some old, and all adorned in tattered rags that Konoka could tell were once normal clothes. The was a small archway over to one side where Konoka could glimpse through and see a filthy bathroom, and other than that was the huge set of wooden doors at the end of the room. With a rusty creak, Konoka watched as these doors were pulled open and yet another person in rags slipped through and entered the room. Eyes widening, Konoka dropped the bowl from her limp fingertips which fell softly onto the hay as she watched the new person making their way towards them.

_It can't be..._

The boy kneeling beside Konoka shot a cheery grin in the newcomer's direction as the girl drew nearer.

"Look, she's finally awake!"

The redhead girl walked over towards them and stopped as she smiled down at the boy and Konoka, the latter of which was staring up in disbelief like she had just seen a ghost.

"_A-Asuna_?"

"Hey, long time no see, Konoka."

"ASUNA!"

With that Konoka launched herself upwards and into the girl known as Asuna, sobbing hysterically and wrapping her arms around the taller girl's frame like she was about to disappear at any second. Asuna choked back her own sob as she buried her face into her friend's shoulder and hugged her back just as tight. The young boy on the floor smiled up at them and ran a hand through his messy hair, watching the affectionate interaction between the two as they broke their hug and looked at each other.

"Asuna, I can't believe it's really you! After that night our village was attacked and you were taken away, I thought you were... were..."

And Konoka couldn't finish her sentence, just lifted her hands to rub her eyes and cried some more, so overwhelmed at seeing her missing childhood friend alive and well before when she had convinced herself that she never would. Asuna laughed and wiped a tear from her own eye before catching one of Konoka's wrists in her grasp and gently pulling her hand away from her face, making the brown-haired girl look at her.

"Konoka, it really is me. After that night we were brought back here and... Well, I guess this is where we've been ever since."

Clearing her throat and inhaling a shaky breath, Konoka looked up at Asuna excitedly.

"A-and the others...?! Akira-san, Ako-san.....?"

Asuna's mouth tightened into a straight line and her eyes became sad as she gazed at Konoka, shaking her head solemnly even though Konoka could already tell from her expression that they were dead.

"Oh..."

And before either could lapse into further misery, a head of scruffy red hair popped up next to them and Konoka found her hand being shaken politely by the boy.

"Pleased to meet you, Konoka-san, Asuna-san has told me quite a bit about you! My name is Negi, by the way."

"N-nice to meet you too, Negi-kun. I hope we can get along."

With a faltering smile, Konoka returned the pleasantries as Asuna clapped the boy gruffly on the back in a way which was meant to be friendly but actually causing him to stumble forward and gasp with the wind knocked out of him.

"Yep, Negi here is kinda like my little brother; we stick together in this place. Right, brat?"

Straightening up and adjusting his frayed shirt, the boy shot Asuna a wary glare which soon melted into a warm expression and he smiled brightly as he nodded. Konoka moved her gaze back and forth between the tall girl and the little boy, immediately sensing the camaraderie there and feeling a warm buzz in her chest at the knowledge that she'd at least have friends in here..... Wherever **here** was.

"Say, um, Asuna.... just where are we, anyway? I don't seem to remember much other than being grabbed by something in the street..."

Asuna's expression turned grim once again as she and Negi shared a worried glance. Eventually, it was the boy who spoke.

"Well, to put it technically, we're in hell."

"What?!"

At Konoka's panicked cry, Asuna sharply elbowed Negi in the side, causing him to yelp as she frowned at him before reaching out and grabbing Konoka's shoulders, stilling her.

"Look Konoka, it's not _actually _hell. It's, well, the demon's world, I guess you can call it. Their realm, their plane, their, uh, dimension?"

Negi stepped up beside her again and nodded somberly.

"Yes, Konoka-san, this is what it's like on the other side of the gateway."

"The gateway....? You mean, we're stuck here in their world...?"

Asuna nodded quietly, dropping her hands from Konoka's shoulder and gesturing around the room.

"Yeah, this is basically our living quarters, and we're kept here because -"

Asuna's sentence was cut short abruptly as the large doors flew open with a crash and a tall demon stood at the entrance, arms flung out to either side and wearing some kind of decorated armour. The sudden appearance of the monster caused Konoka to choke and cling onto Asuna, terrified.

"Listen up, filth! A member of the royal family is returning back from the flip world, everyone get your asses outside and line up to greet the procession! NOW!"

And with the end of the sentence, the humanoid creature turned around and left, the people in the room beginning to stir and filter out of the room in droves. Konoka dug her fingers into Asuna's shirt and looked up at her fearfully.

"W-we're not going to follow it are we, Asuna?"

Asuna laid a calming hand on Konoka's shoulder and tried to smile reassuringly. Beside her, Negi turned back from the people moving out of the room and glanced back at the pair as he began to follow them.

"Asuna-san, Konoka-san, we have to hurry."

"NO!"

At Konoka's shout, Asuna turned and lightly placed both hands on the sides of the terrified girl's face, lifting it so she could meet her gaze.

"Konoka, it's okay, they won't hurt us. Trust me, just do as they say and you'll be fine, I'll explain it all later -"

"Asuna-san, we're going to be left behind!"

Looking away from Konoka to glance up at Negi, Asuna swore under her breath and grabbed Konoka's hand, leading her towards the doors.

'Look Konoka, just follow me for now."

They caught up to the rest of crowd and were lead by a pair of warrior demons up a gigantic flight of stairs into a massive courtyard where an entire crowd of demon citizens gathered before a raised platform against the side of the huge palace, a huge split down the middle of the audience forming a neat road that was lined with a red carpet.

Konoka blinked up at the sky and was overcome with awe as she found that this sky was red instead of the blue of her world's.

The humans were led over to the far edge of the carpeted walkway, far away from the demon citizens who sneered at them in disgust as they passed.

_"Ugh, humans...."_

_"They stink. I don't see why they should even be out here greeting the procession at all..."_

_"Now now, they're owned by the royal family. They're like pets, you know?"_

Glancing over her shoulder at one of the demons that whispered a particular nasty comment, Konoka found Asuna's hand jerking her head back to face the front and the girl leaning over to hiss in her ear.

"Don't look at them, Konoka. It's a sign of disrespect to make eye-contact with them."

They were organised into a single line along the walkway, instructed to kneel down and sit quietly while the chatter from the crowd of conversing demons filled the air. Konoka discreetly glanced at the demons out of the corner of her eye, taking in their appearance.

Their skin was a dark-bronze tanned colour, limbs long and sinuous and talons trimmed into sharp, black points. Their general appearance was strikingly humanoid, sharp noses and defined chins, very thin dark hair with a glossy sheen to it. But then there were the points that made them so starkly inhuman, like for one the sharp eyes where the whites were instead completely black, and the irises a bright gold. And as they talked amongst each other, Konoka could glimpse the pointed rows of teeth that flashed every time their lips were pulled back, and of course there were the enormous black-feathered wings that emerged from their shoulder blades.

They wore folds of clothing that wrapped around and tucked in, _similar to yukatas and hakamas_, Konoka thought, and both the male and female ones wore jewellery of some kind. Gold necklaces and bracelets, and rings both on their fingers and in their pointed ears.

Konoka's observation of them was broken when the crowd fell into a hush and golden eyes all turned towards the end of the walkway. From her place kneeling down along the side of the road, Konoka leaned forward and turned her head to look down the road and see a line of demons marching up long the path.

Eyes fixated on the group drawing ever closer, Konoka was nearly shocked right out of her skin when a booming voice directly behind her yelled out.

"BOW DOWN!"

In a flash, all the humans lined up along the walkway threw themselves forward onto their stomachs, arms folded underneath themselves and foreheads almost touching the ground in front of them. After a few confused seconds of delay, Konoka copied their movements.

Although her head was pressed to the ground, Konoka could hear the metallic clinking of the soldiers' booted feet as they passed in front of her, the procession walking in tandem rhythm as the crowd of citizens further down burst into applause and cheer to welcome their heroes.

Unable to help herself, Konoka tilted her head upwards a bit and glanced up at the proud warriors that marched past, staring in awe at the intricate armour they wore which looked similar to the set worn by the demons who had led them from the chambers outside, but far more surreal.

The men wore black and silver armoured chest and shoulder plates but left their lean, muscled abdomens bare, waist covered with an iron belt and plated groin-and-hip guards worn over loose scarlet trousers, which tucked into sharp-pointed metal boots. The women wore the same black and silver armour, although they had a tight-fitting red shirt underneath their chest and shoulder plates rather than leaving their abdomens bare. Both genders wore exquisitely crafted armoured gauntlets which ran from wrist to the crook of the elbow, leaving their upper arms bare save for where the shoulder plates began.

The most noticeable piece of military-wear, however, was the chilling metal helmets each soldier wore. Neatly settled over their heads, they acted more like masks - with an open back to allow hair to spill free, and the rounded tops sporting three small spikes. The front of the mask fell down either side of their cheeks, freeing the mouth, chin and eyes but curving over the nose and ending in a long, sharp point. It gave them the appearance of a dark metal bird's beak, oddly fitting for their golden eyes and powerful wings.

They looked insanely intimidating.

Konoka continued to watch line after line of soldiers go past until the civilian crowd upgraded from a chorus of loud cheers into a ferocious uproar of applause and praise as an important-looking gilded cart edged in gold and being pulled along by a pair of solid black steeds came into view. As it's large wheels rolled past directly in front of her, Konoka craned her neck upwards in caught a glimpse into the shadowy window of the passing window.

_White....?_

Feeling Asuna's hand on the back of her head pulling her back down into a bow, Konoka gave up on watching the rest of the procession as she remained face-down like the rest of the slaves. Eventually, they were instructed to sit back up again on their knees when the procession had eventually made it's way onto the platform, the large cart rolling to a stop and two waiting soldiers rushing forward to pull open the carriage door as the crowd fell silent again.

Squinting, Konoka intently watched as the doors were drawn back and that the figure inside stepped out onto the platform regally. Konoka felt her throat go dry.

This one, was _so different..._

Although dressed in the same armour as the other soldiers, save for the addition of a dark cloak, Konoka could see even from this distance that the demon who had just emerged into the open was nothing at all like the rest. The slim figure and red garment across it's torso alerted her to the fact that it was a female, but as it stepped up and began walking to the front of the platform with languid grace Konoka's vision was simply fixed on the wings folded neatly at it's back.

_**White**_ wings.

Not only that, but from what she could see of the upper arms this demon had pristine white skin too, and it looked starkly misplaced amongst the dark soldiers who had at this point dropped into a crouch and were bowing before the female who came to a stop at the front of the platform.

Excited whispered coursed throughout the crowd as all attention was fixed on the figure who lifted up their hands and lifted off the helmet, dark hair with a streak of white falling about the shoulders and framing a feminine face which looked out at the crowd with black eyes, irises the colour of blood rather than the usual demon gold.

Konoka remained staring at the exotic being as another loud, booming voice of one of the soldiers yelled out over the courtyard and spurred the crowd into another eruption of frenzied cheer and applause.

"ANNOUNCING THE LONG-AWAITED RETURN OF SETSUNA-HIME!"

* * *

A/N: Yes, I'm planning forbidden attraction and romance for this fic, uwahahahaha. If this sounds like it should be continued, or if you think that the idea is ridiculous and should be killed, please let me know!

Feedback is essential!


	2. Captive

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Negima or anything like that.

A/N: Chapter two of the AU fic where their roles are reversed. Hope you enjoy it!

* * *

A night had passed since the events of Konoka's arrival into the demon world. After she had been ushered back into the separate slave's underground quarters along with the rest of the humans, Asuna and Negi were quick to explain her now settled fate to her.

***

_"... And so, we are allocated jobs around the palace and are pretty much used as free labour."_

_"W-what? But Negi-kun, that's horrible!"_

_"Look, Konoka," said Asuna, shrugging, " We're the inferior species here. We don't exactly have a choice. Anyone who tries to rebel is just killed. Trust me, you'll get used to this."_

_***_

Slowly blinking her eyes open, Konoka swallowed deeply as Negi and Asuna's words from last night swirled around her mind in a fog of disbelief. _I can't believe this is happening to me..._

Sitting up, she pulled a few strands of straw loose from her slightly mussed chocolate locks and grimaced from the numb pain that flared up in her spine.

_Bundles of hay don't exactly make the most comfortable or therapeutic of beds, _she thought to herself as she chuckled half-heartedly. Turning to the lightly snoring body across from her, the young secret mage reached out and tapped a bare arm that was resting near her.

"Asuna.... Asuna, wake up..."

Konoka sighed, as her whispers were doing nothing to rouse the girl. Biting her lip, she muttered a silent apology to Asuna before reaching over and pinching her.

"ACK!? Ko-Konoka, what the hell...!?"

Now fully awake, although somewhat grouchy - though Konoka couldn't really blame her for that, after the painful awakening she administered - Asuna sat up and muttered curses under her breath, rubbing her now-sore upper arm.

"Geez Konoka, you could've just shaken me awake or something like a normal person!"

Konoka giggled slightly.

"Sorry Asuna, I guess I was a tad mean.... But, uh, the reason I wanted to wake you was to ask just what I'm supposed to be doing today."

Asuna's pissed expression melted away into apprehension. She averted her eyes from Konoka's and shook her head.

"I dunno. I guess you'll just have to follow me out to fields where I work, but they're maybe gonna notice that you're a newbie and well..."

Here, she shrugged.

"Either they'll let you stick around down there, or they'll move you off into some other section."

"So we work outside and not in the actual palace?"

Asuna blinked up at her, a bit surprised at the question.

"No, only a few people are allowed in there. I dunno, they kinda view us as dirty and stuff, you know? They wouldn't allow any more than necessary near their _precious_ royal family."

Konoka tilted her head to the side as Asuna ground out the word "precious" with sarcasm, a scowl covering her face.

"Royal family? Like that white demon from yesterday?"

"Yeah, that was their princess. She's like, some kind of albino. We never really see her or the rest of the family much."

"Yet you hate them so much why...?"

Asuna set two mismatched eyes on Konoka that burned with suppressed anger.

"What do you mean, Konoka? It's that family who enslaved us! That family which ordered the raids on our village! Takahata-san _died_ that night because of these things!"

Asuna choked down a shaky breath with these words, holding her hand out to stop Konoka from rushing forward and hugging her like she was about to.

Really, she felt horrible. In retrospect, she wondered why she even needed to ask Asuna such a thing. She knew that Takahata-san was the only parental figure Asuna had as a child, and he had been killed on the night their village was raided.

"Oh, Asuna, I'm sorry - I didn't even think..."

Asuna cut off Konoka again with a weak smile.

"Look, it's ok. I know you're not the kind of person to intentionally hurt someone, Konoka. It's just that... these things are _evil_, and I don't want you assuming otherwise. Got it?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Asuna-san? Konoka-san?"

Both girls turned at the same time as a shirtless and yawning little boy sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes and blinking groggily at them both. Asuna moved to grab his grey shirt from the spot next to her foot and handed it to him, grinning.

"Didn't mean to wake you up, Negi. But since you are, how about you go and fetch me and Konoka some food, eh?"

"Asuna! Don't treat poor Negi-kun like a servant! He only just woke up!"

"Hey, he belongs to me and therefore he does as I say!"

As Negi slipped into his shirt and moved off to go and fetch the food, Konoka blinked in confusion.

"Own him?"

"Yeah, I won him in a bet against one of the other guys in here when the brat had just been sent to this world."

Konoka merely blinked again. Wow, _this place is brutal..._

After a few moments the boy returned with three dodgy-looking pieces of fruit that Konoka eyed suspiciously as it was handed to her. Asuna caught onto her hesitation and smiled assuringly.

"It's safe to eat, Konoka. I forgot that this fruit never grew back in our world, so it must look weird as hell to you right now, but it really is alright. You'd better get used to it anyway, since they don't feed us much else."

After a few seconds, Konoka gingerly bit into the purple spongy flesh and struggled with her first mouthful.

"Ugh, it's sour!"

"It is? Hnn, I guess years of eating it has made me immune to it."

"Oh that's right, Asuna-san, it's called Acquired Taste. When a person is continually introduced to a select diet they gradually become -"

"_**Pleeeease**_ stop rambling, Negi. So you're smart, we get it!"

Although Asuna was quick to grumble about Negi's well of knowledge, Konoka perked up and stared at the boy in amazement.

"Wow, and you're only ten, Negi-kun? You're very clever."

The boy laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, a bit embarrassed about the sudden attention he was getting.

"Ah, well, my sister was a school teacher back in our village and so she used to read to me and tutor me a lot. I guess I just never really forgot it all."

"Well, knowledge is a good skill to have, Negi-kun. Don't let Asuna's words get you down, she's just jealous because she was one of the lowest-scoring children in our class back in school...!"

"Eh!? Konoka, that was _second grade_! So what if I couldn't count to twenty? There were others who couldn't as well!"

"You remember what we called you, Asuna? Baka Red?"

Konoka and Negi burst into laughter at her outraged expression, and it was only when Asuna glared at them both and turned her nose up at them in a huff that they were able to get their humour under control and apologise to the fuming redhead.

"Hmph, whatever. I accept your apologies, but as a punishment we are now going to** bathe**!"

Konoka sweatdropped in utter confusion.

"Bathing is a punishment? I would've thought it's a luxury?"

Asuna grinned evilly as she smirked at Konoka.

"Oh, for you and me it's true Konoka. But this kid just _hates_ baths!"

Turning her brown eyes onto Negi, Konoka saw that Asuna wasn't lying and indeed the boy was trembling all over like a leaf.

"B-but Asuna-san, I'm still rather clean from my last bath, so..."

"COME ON, NEGI!"

"Gwah!"

Konoka laughed as Negi was dragged to his feet and frogmarched towards the archway across the room, Konoka discarding her unpleasant breakfast and shortly following suit.

* * *

Negi winced as another bucket of water was poured over his head, sending a stream of icy water into his eye.

"Ouch! Asuna-san, please be more gentle!"

"Oh cut it out, Negi! You make it sound like I'm torturing you or something..."

Konoka lowered the bucket she was using to wash with as she shivered and wrapped her arms around her towel-clad frame.

"A-Asuna, it's so c-c-cold in here! Isn't there any heated w-water?"

Asuna laughed as she continued scrubbing Negi's hair.

"Konoka, you expect too much. We are lower than dirt here; they're not about to waste good warm water on us. I mean heck, if we catch hypothermia and die then they can just replace us!"

Konoka grimaced at Asuna's casual statement and stood up from her stool, dropping the empty bucket from her fingertips.

_Now I know why Negi-kun hates baths so much..._

"Whoah, nice curves there babe. Yo Asuna-ne-san, where'd ya get this doll from huh?"

Glancing around in alarm, Konoka shrieked and ducked behind Asuna when her eyes landed on a guy leaning at the doorway with a grin on his face. He had short pale yellow hair, and dark eyes that glinted with perverted mischief.

"Hey now, didn't mean to startle you or anything. My name's Albert, what's your name angel?"

Konoka was about to open her mouth and reply when Asuna growled angrily and ditched an empty bucket at the intruder.

"Get lost Chamo! Konoka's with me, and therefore off-limits!"

The man, having ducked behind the wall and narrowly avoided the impact that had caused a now-splintered bucket to clatter to the floor, popped his head back around the side of the wall and winked at the trio.

"So it's Konoka, eh? I'll look forward to getting to know you better, sweetheart."

"OUT, you pervert!"

"Okay okay! I'm going, Asuna-ne-san! Just don't go all fiery redhead on me, 'kay?"

And with that, the man disappeared once again. Stepping out from her place behind Asuna, Konoka shuddered.

"He was.... well, nice. But entirely too creepy."

"Ah, that's Chamo. He's a perverted freak alright, but he's harmless enough. He's Negi's friend, right brat?"

The shivering boy nodded fervently, teeth chattering.

"Yes, he fancies himself a bit of a charmer Konoka-san, but he really is a good person. You can rely on him."

Asuna snorted, but otherwise didn't contradict Negi's statement. They spent the next few minutes finishing up their washing process before dressing and heading back out into the main area now that more and more people were waking and moving into the bath area.

Stretching a bit to work out the kinks in her back, Konoka was surprised when Negi and Asuna began to head towards the main doors.

"What? We're leaving already?"

Asuna turned back and smiled at her friend.

"Yeah, we gotta get started early otherwise we'll get lashes."

Konoka began to chuckle, thinking it was a joke, but soon stopped once she realised the girl was being serious. Her laugh turned into a small whimper.

As the trio made their way up the stairs that lead to above ground, the bright red sky and the warm, humid air of this world greeted them.

"I'm never gonna get used to this..." Konoka muttered, using one hand to shield her eyes from the two suns as she gazed at the stretch of red above her. Beside her, Asuna murmured in a sing-song voice "yes you will~."

As she followed the pair down a small path, Konoka glanced at her surroundings. She observed the huge walls that surrounded the palace campus, very similar in size and structure to the Great Wall of China back in their own world, and realised with a dull throb in her chest that escape from this place was impossible.

_It's true; I'm never going to see Madoka-chan ever again..._

Feeling downcast, Konoka was silent the entire walk to the fields where she found herself lead over to a large shed-like structure at the edge of one of the plantations. As they walked down a row of the vegetation towards the building, Konoka curiously peered at the strange plants they were passing. It looked like they were all berry plants of some sort - each one bearing different kinds of fruit, Konoka even noticing the strange purple one she'd experienced at breakfast earlier.

As they entered the large wall-less shelter, Konoka was amazed to see that there were already people moving about collecting baskets and tools for harvesting, meaning that they'd gotten up even earlier than she herself had. Busy with her observations, Konoka was snapped out of her thoughts by Negi's voice as he called out to a young girl who was sitting in a corner weaving a collecting basket.

"Nodoka-san!"

Startled, the young girl glanced up at Negi and peered at him from underneath her long fringe, Konoka noticing even from her distance that the girl was blushing.

"H-hello, Negi-kun."

"Nodoka-san, meet our friend Konoka! She was a friend of Asuna's from years ago, and she joined us yesterday."

Feeling as though that were her cue, Konoka wandered over to the pair and smiled warmly at the shy girl, bowing as she introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you, Nodoka-chan. I'm Konoe Konoka, and I hope we'll get along!"

Asuna made her way to stand at Konoka's side and clapped her friend on the shoulder.

"Nodoka-chan, this girl is probably the nicest person you could come across. I'm sure you guys will get along just fine."

Smiling at the praise she'd just received, Konoka shook her head modestly but her curiosity piqued when she saw the younger girl hand Negi a basket that was sitting beside her.

"Here Negi-kun, I made this one specially for you."

Blinking, the boy reached out and took hold of the wicker basket, smiling cheerily when he saw the word 'Negi' woven awkwardly into the base using darker material than the rest. He flashed Nodoka a grateful smile of thanks.

"Gee, this is great Nodoka-san! I'm flattered that you'd go out of your way to make this just for me!"

"Oh, don't worry, it was nothing..."

Asuna pulled Konoka aside and whispered laughingly into her ear,

"Oi, Nodoka-chan here has the biggest crush on Negi-boy, if you haven't noticed..."

Konoka muffled a giggle and whispered back.

"I think it's impossible for anyone to miss that, Asuna."

Pulling back, Asuna smiled exasperatedly at the boy who was now trotting off to go and pick fruit, unaware of Nodoka's bright eyes lingering on his retreating form.

"Yeah, everyone except Negi himself, that is."

"Aww, he's totally oblivious?"

"Yep."

"A-Asuna-san! I can hear you, you know!"

"Huh? Eh! Sorry, Nodoka-chan... Ehehe…."

Konoka giggled some more while Asuna went and collected them a basket each, handing one to the young mage and leading her out into the fields.

"Okay Konoka, you see you basically have to just -"

"Hey! Ranga!"

Startled at the sudden shout, Konoka turned around to the source of the yell and felt her breath seize up in her throat as a rather short demon stalked towards them. Although she herself felt dread wash over her, Asuna's expression turned to one of annoyance.

"Who do you think you're calling ranga, you midget!?"

"A-Asuna! Don't call one of them that -"

A bark of laughter from the demon cut off Konoka's speech as the black, winged figure finally approached them. Konoka blinked when she saw that it was merely a boy, probably little older than Negi in fact.

"I'll call you whatever I want to, ranga. Now anyway, get over to the lake and fill up one of our buckets - the processing strip has gotten stuck and they need to wash it out."

"Screw you Inugami! Do it yourself!"

The boy's golden eyes flashed as he bared his fangs at them in a grinning smirk. Konoka thought he looked predatory, wolfish. Scary, despite his age. Turning his gaze from Asuna, Konoka gulped as the beast's sights settled on her and he rustled his feathers.

"What's this thing's name?"

"She's not a thing! Just where the hell do you get off speaking to us like that, Kotaro!?"

The demon sniffed, narrowing his eyes at Asuna as he folded is arms.

"I'm not one of you disgusting homo sapiens, so I have the right to speak to you however I want. And don't call me by my name, darn it!"

"Ah, Kotaro-kun!"

The demon flinched as Negi's cheery voice called out and the boy happily bounced over to them. Scowling, the demon boy tried to walk off quickly before Negi could reach him, but at the last minute he remembered his original order and turned back, pointing one sharp finger at Konoka.

"You. Go fill up one of those buckets and bring it to me. Got it?"

Konoka nodded meekly, but Asuna growled.

"Hey! It'll be ten times quicker if you just flew over and got it yourself!"

"Yeah, but that's what you things are for!"

As soon as he left, with Negi following close behind, Asuna threw her basket to the ground and cursed.

"Freaking demon! I hate him! I hate them all! But, well, I guess you've got no choice but to go and do as he says, Konoka."

"What? But I don't know where this lake is, Asuna!"

Pursing her lips, Asuna looked at her for a second before turning around and pointing to a small watchtower a little in the distance.

"You see that tower? Right near there is the lake. Just go grab one of the buckets from the shed back where Nodoka-chan was and go and fetch midget birdy his stupid little pail of water."

"B-but that tower is miles away!"

"Oh don't exaggerate, Konoka. It'll take about 15 minutes, tops."

"Ngh, alright then...."

And before she'd even begun her first job as a fruit harvester, Konoka placed her woven basket on the ground and wandered off back towards the shelter.

* * *

_She said the watchtower, but I don't see it....!_

Bare feet hurting, Konoka stopped and leaned one arm against the cool stone wall of the abandoned tower and absent-mindedly swung her bucket back and forth with her other hand.

Looking around, she saw nothing but more fruit trees and the edge line of a forest a bit further ahead.

"Well, now that I'm at the watch tower, which way am I supposed to go, Asuna?" she muttered to herself sarcastically under her breath, straightening up and continuing her walk. Reaching the tall trees at the end of the path, Konoka stood awkwardly at the first gigantic tree and peered into the forest, a little hesitant of entering.

_This is another world... what if there's some kind of wild animal in there? Or what if there's a whole __**family**__ of wild animals in there!?_

Biting her lip, Konoka made to turn on her heel and take her chances in another direction when the sound of a tree falling over caught her attention.

_What the...?!_

Turning back, Konoka once again peered into the trees and could just make out something dark blue darting around the forest, and with a glint of light suddenly a tree would fall. Stunned and intrigued, Konoka barely felt her mind screaming at her to run as her limbs felt paralysed and her eyes were drawn to the strange, fast-moving blur that was bringing the trees down effortlessly.

Squinting, she tilted her head to the side as the strange thing suddenly began increasing in size rapidly.

_It's growing...? Oh no, hang on.... It's coming my way!?"_

Before she even had time to react, the thing was hurtling towards her and bowled into her, sending her crashing along the ground and rolling past fruit trees until finally coming to a halt up against a small shrub. Dazed, and in pain, Konoka groaned as she sat up and clutched her head, one of the main impact points when that thing smashed into her. _Whatever it was._

Hearing a rustle in the fruit bushes not far from where she sat, Konoka bit back a cry of surprise when the mysterious dark-blue thing - now proving to be a person in a dark hakama - sat up also, pulling off a dark blindfold that had been tied over her eyes and hissed in pain, clutching a wing.

_A wing!?_

Not only that, but Konoka felt her heart nearly leap right out of her throat and make a run for it when she saw that the hurt wing in question was a bright, snowy white.

_Ohmygod, I just injured royalty!_

The demoness wiped dirt and leaves from her training outfit as she stood, glancing around for her dropped sword and dark red eyes soon falling onto Konoka, who sat dead still in a state of shock, fear and guilt.

For a few moments neither moved nor spoke, until eventually the demon blinked and raised a hand, pointing at the silent girl.

"What's a slave doing out here in my training grounds?"

"I'M SO SORRY!"

The demonic princess was startled when the frightened human threw herself down at her feet in a deep bow, repeatedly apologising for the crash.

"Please, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I-I-I mean you no disrespect, I swear! I'm new here, and I was looking for the lake and I just got lost and then I saw you running in the forest and then you ran into me and -"

The demon, Setsuna, raised an eyebrow as the odd creature launched into a long stream of words that was supposed to be a sentence, but were being stuttered out so quickly that they barely made any sense to the white crow. Shaking her head, the demon merely stepped over Konoka and walked towards one of the trees a few feet behind her, picking up her fallen sword and sliding it back into the sheath at her side.

Turning back to the human, she found that the strange girl with the hair like chocolate was sitting up again and watching her fearfully, obviously expecting some kind of punishment for being foolish enough to stand in the way while the princess was training blindfolded. Truth be told, she was a little bit amused at the expression of utter terror on the other girl's face but said nothing about it. Instead, she walked back over and stood before the human, raising her arm and pointing towards the west.

"The lake is that way. If you walk over to that watch tower over there, you'll find it on the other side and just over a small hill."

Konoka blinked, expecting a harsh beating but instead finding a smooth, sultry voice giving her directions. Still not moving, Konoka shrank back a bit when the demon princess looked down at her. The sudden twitchy move made Setsuna tilt her head.

"You're so afraid of me. Why?"

Konoka swallowed deeply, moving into yet another nervous bow.

"I'm sorry, Setsuna-hime."

"Hn, you know my title. Is that why you're so jumpy? And what exactly are you sorry for?"

Konoka fumbled for words, and didn't move out of her bowing position. After a moment of no answer, Setsuna frowned.

"What's your name?"

"What? Oh! Uh, I'm.... Konoka, Setsuna-hime."

"Konoka."

Setsuna remained eyeing the girl curiously as she fidgeted from her spot on the floor. Setsuna had never really interacted with any of the humans; there were a few of them that cleaned the castle but they always scuttled off whenever they caught sight of her approaching, and besides she'd never felt the need to speak to any of the slaves anyway.

This girl was the first human she'd ever actually spoken to.

Straightening up, Setsuna wrapped the blindfold tightly around her fist and started to walk off back into the forest, making Konoka glance up in surprise at her lack of reprimand.

"You should get back to your work, Konoka."

"Huh? H-hai!" Konoka squeaked, jumping to her feet and collecting her fallen bucket before rushing off back towards the direction of the watchtower. Once she'd finally found the lake and filled her pitcher, Konoka made the long trudge back to the fields where a frustrated Asuna awaited her.

"Mou, what took you so long Konoka? You were gone for _ages_!"

"I, um, got a little lost..."

"Heh, trust you of all people to get lost even after receiving directions, Konoka." The redhead sighed, shaking her head as she handed Konoka her basket and proceeded to point out to her which fruit were ripe and how to pluck them effectively.

* * *

By the end of the day, Konoka was stiff and sore as the trio walked back to the slave quarters, eager for a quick dinner and a good night's sleep. On the way, Negi was cheerfully recounting the events of his day.

"... and Kotaro-kun always tries to pretend he doesn't like me, but since I'm the only boy his age I know that he secretly doesn't, and Eva-san on the other hand is my age too but she hates my guts for some reason, she's extremely hateful towards us humans and only ever yells and glares at me whenever I go past, she's a powerful demon with-"

Zoning out from Negi's rambling, Konoka found herself thinking back to earlier in the day when she encountered Setsuna-hime in the forest and just how taken aback she'd been when the princess was actually civil towards her.

_But Asuna says they're all heartless monsters, so..._

As she pondered it, her fingers unconsciously made their way towards the small black pouch at her hip and she felt the familiar thrum of power radiating from the stones inside. It was a soothing feeling, almost like the presence of a loved one, and it was a simple habit of hers to place her hand over the bag at times when she was stressed. She knew the serene feeling was even stronger when the stones were out of the bag, but she could never risk other people seeing them.

Exactly like what happened with Ku Fei, people instinctively feared anything to do with the original occult practices.

Eventually making their way back to the stable-like room, Konoka was looking forward to their measly dinner which was a repeat of the night before - tasteless stew - and after a quick wash in the baths the trio were seated over in their spot in the corner where they just sat and talked quietly.

Throughout the conversation, Konoka noticed the way that Asuna kept absent-mindedly rubbing her shoulder and finally decided to speak up about it.

"Asuna, are you ok? Something up with your shoulder?"

"Eh?"

Surprised, not realising that she'd been so obvious, Asuna grinned weakly and pointed at her shoulder, poking it with her fingertip.

"Ah, it's not much. I just probably pulled a muscle earlier when I was trying to pull those freaking succi berries off of the branch..."

Konoka bit her lip, watching as her friend tried to shrug off the injury like it was nothing, but from the way she kept rubbing it Konoka could tell that it was causing her great discomfort. If not pain.

Konoka opened her mouth to speak, but fell silent as Ku's words flashed through her mind.

_I don't want to freak out Asuna and Negi-kun too; they're my only friends here...._

Frowning, she shook her head to dispel her hesitation and crawled over to Asuna, the redhead looking at her in confusion and Negi sitting up to peer over at them too.

"Negi-kun, is there anyone looking over in this direction?"

A bit startled at the odd question, but complying nonetheless, Negi glanced around and confirmed that they were not being watched.

"Good. Okay Asuna, stay still for me. And please, don't scream or anything."

"What? Oh no, don't tell me you're going to try and do that crazy painful thing like when they pop broken bones back into place, 'cause I'm telling you _**it's not broken**_!"

Konoka bit back a chuckle as she gently rested her hands on the now-frantic Asuna's shoulder.

"No it's not Asuna, just sit still for me..."

The glow from her hands caused Asuna to choke on air and stare bug-eyed at her own shoulder while Negi gasped and rolled closer, watching the process intently.

As she felt Asuna's pain drain out of the injured muscle, Konoka willed her magic to cease and she sat back with a hopeful expression on her face.

_Please don't hate me, please don't hate me, please don't hate me..._

"K-Konoka-san, you can heal!?"

"Yeah, just what the frik, Konoka! You never told me you could do that!"

Breathing out a sigh of relief at their positive, if not curious, reactions Konoka beamed happily as she twisted her fingers together shyly.

"Oh, well I've been able to do that since I was little and -"

The sound of the doors being thrown open made the trio glance upwards, three different expressions settling over their faces as Inugami Kotaro scanned the room and spotted them, walking towards them. Asuna was frowning, Konoka looked nervous and Negi was smiling in a friendly manner.

Reaching the three, the bird-demon stood before them and peered down, dropping his badass visage for one second to nod a greeting to Negi before his face settled into a scowl again.

"Yo, I'm here to deliver a message from the royal family."

All three of them blinked at each other, exchanging confused glances before Asuna looked back up at the demon guard.

"What, for all three of us?"

"No, for that one. And from Setsuna-hime, actually."

Konoka was a bit stunned as the demon pointed lazily at her, Asuna moving to place an arm on Konoka's shoulder as she glared up at Kotaro.

"Yeah? And what does this Hime-sama want with Konoka, exactly?"

Kotaro frowned at Asuna's lack of patience as he reached a hand up to scratch behind one of his ears lazily.

"Well, starting tomorrow, she's been ordered to serve as one of Setsuna-hime's personal hand maids."

"Whaaaat...!?"

* * *

A/N: Okay, setting up the whole scenario for them to be spending time with each other. Next chapter, Setsuna is really curious about just how 'civilised' these so-called filthy beasts are, and Konoka in turn begins to find out just how human the princess can actually be. Maybe both species are wrong about each other?

If you liked this and want more, please review. If you hate this and wish me to never update, let me know that also. I can only improve on my writing when I know what people don't like about it.

Please leave any comments or questions!


	3. Servitude

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Negima. Nope.

A/N: Alright, third chapter ready to go. Konoka and Setsuna actually spend a day together in this one but remember they are pretty much complete strangers, diferent social classes, aw hell different species! So until there's some more development there won't be any instantaneous huggles and kisses. I solemly swear that huggles and kisses ARE to come in this fic, however :)

Thanks a freaking tonne to everyone who reviewed the last two chapters! Please leave a comment at the end of the post - It only takes a few seconds and they're handy to point out any flaws or annoyances with my work that I can fix in the future.

Now, two people actually asked questions in their reviews so I'll answer them here:

**Reinhart Fellow**: Well at the moment Kotaro is just a little guardsboy who wants to be a royal soldier but gets stuck with all the crappy jobs like supervising the humans because of his age, and Eva is a secret for now.... ;P

**i am toad**: Darn yooouuu, you start getting into things I am going to delve into later down the track, hahaha :P At this point it's unknown whether or not the demons approve of mages, and even if they did Konoka is unaware of it so she's going off of what she learnt in the human world, which is basically Magic = Badness. And with the bloodline thinning out, the tear only happened about a generation or so ago so there's no worry about the bloodline disappearing. It was a good thought, though!

And I apologise in advance for Konoka's behaviour in this chapter - believe me, I felt like slapping her too :D

* * *

Chapter 3

* * *

Negi was the first of them to speak, recovering from the momentary stupefication quickly enough to murmur an amazed question.

"… Is this true, Kotaro-kun?"

With a near-inaudible rustle of feathers the standing demon child frowned, corner of his lip lifting high enough into a near-scowl and allowing the barest glimpse of his pointed canine. Tossing his head with a snort, he fixed his golden gaze on the boy who was roughly his size.

"Why the heck would I lie, scum? Believe me, there's no way I would've come down here to these stinking slave's quarters if I hadn't been _personally requested _to deliver my Hime's message."

Feeling Asuna stir beside him, the older girl less than impressed with the way Kotaro was speaking down to them, Negi quickly clamped a calming hand down on her shoulder, stilling her.

There was no use in her losing her temper and getting agitated – If it came down to it, even a mere child like Kotaro was powerful enough to slaughter her on the spot.

And the worst part was, since she was nothing but a slave nobody would even _care_.

Negi liked to believe Inugami Kotaro was different – the boy still retained enough youthful innocence to somewhat befriend Negi – although the avian guardsboy would never admit it – and actually tolerated the slaves' presence a lot more than could be said for the other, older, soldiers.

In fact, it worried Negi as the months passed and his demon friend began showing more signs of aggression, his relentless training and interaction with his superiors beginning to slowly darken him and nurture the small violent streak he possessed.

The demons preferred their soldiers as cold and deadly as possible.

Konoka remained sitting in silence, legs folded daintily underneath herself and eyes still wide with shock. Her brown gaze snapped over to Asuna when the orange-haired girl shot forward with a growl, shrugging off Negi's hand and getting up on her knees in front of Kotaro to glare at him.

"Don't you dare call Negi 'scum' like that!" she bellowed, her anger management issues long forgotten as her vision clouded over in fury when the demon merely regarded her with amusement.

"Don't think you're so high and mighty, you stupid canary!"

Konoka nervously bit her lip and Negi gulped as the amused glint in Kotaro's eyes darkened into something more sinister.

He looked, frankly, _pissed off._

"A-Asuna-san, look, don't worry about it… Really, he was just joking around. Right, Kotaro-kun?"

"Negi, why the heck are you even defending this... this _chirpy little __**thing**_!?"

Kotaro drew his lips into a thin snarl as he found his temper fading fast.

"If you make fun of my heritage one more time, you disgusting _human, _I will **personally **see to it that you're stripped of your stinking rags and thrown into the gladiator's -"

"Eh, Kotaro-kun, wait! You know she doesn't mean it..."

"Like hell I don't!"

"Asuna-san, stop!"

As Negi tried futilely to calm down the raging Asuna, the skinny boy nearly in tears, her equally furious opponent ground his fangs together and drew a fist so tight it caused his talons to dig into his palms and the barest trickle of blood dripped from his hand.

Another snarl, prompting Asuna to open her mouth again for a third retort.

… Only, she never quite got that far. With a move so quick it was nearly invisible, a small, strong hand had caught her by the chin and wrenched her head up, black fingernails pressing little crescents into her skin as her breath left her lips in a hissing whisper of pain.

Kotaro leaned down close and made direct eye-contact with Asuna, so close their noses were almost touching as he glared at her with a look of disgust.

"Listen, _human_, I can speak to you any way I want. And how dare you have the audacity to say otherwise. The only reason I haven't killed you already is because of a favour to Negi. But believe me, I'm _so _close to overstepping that line..."

Here, he shoved the girl back roughly where she was caught awkwardly by the scruffy-haired young boy and Konoka crawling across to fuss over her as she clambered upright again.

The still-standing boy shifted his weight onto his left foot, straw crunching beneath his boot.

"So yeah, brown-haired wench, be at the palace first thing tomorrow morning, a'right? I dunno why, but this is the first time Setsuna-hime's chosen a personal maid so you'd better damn well not disappoint."

And without even glancing backwards the boy had spun on his heel, stalking across the room and making people cower slightly as he passed and made his way towards the exit.

With a whimpered cry, Konoka flung herself over at Asuna and enveloped her in a tight hug, admonishing her for picking a fight over something so trivial.

"But Konoka, that's the thing! It's NOT an unimportant matter! If he's lying about something this big I'll... I'll...!"

And as Asuna worked herself back into a tantrum, Negi leaned forward and placed his hand on Konoka's shoulder, making the surprised mage glance over at him.

"Konoka-san, Asuna is simply worried about you... I mean, if you'd heard the things we've heard about the royal family then you wouldn't think it was such an unimportant matter either..."

His words made Konoka involuntarily shiver. As much as she'd had mixed emotions about the whole thing when Kotaro had informed them minutes ago, everyone's somber attitude left her fearful now of the royal family.

"Konoka, I…"

Asuna trailed off, mouth forming a tight line as she was lost for words. Negi too began to speak, only to sigh and trail off into mumbles.

"Konoka-san, how unfortunate…"

Swallowing a lump in her throat, Konoka grasped Asuna's hand tightly as she forced a reassuring smile onto her lips. If there was anything Konoka was good at, it was forcing cheer.

Really, ignorance was bliss, wasn't it?

"Oh Asuna, Negi-kun, don't worry about me. I'm sure Setsuna-hime will treat me decently… I mean, she wouldn't have chosen a hand maid at all if she hated us, right?"

Asuna glanced at her skeptically, before her features were overcome with a startled kind of realisation.

"Oh! Konoka, I forgot, you've only been here a day…" the girl glanced over at Negi as she completed her sentence, mostly directed at the boy himself now rather than Konoka, to whom she was originally speaking.

"She doesn't know about the stories…"

Konoka's interest perked as she saw Negi's face crumble. It felt kind of weird, but in a twisted way Konoka was intrigued by their apparent nervousness and fear, and wanted to know what these 'stories' were, even if a part of her knew she wouldn't like the answer.

"A-Asuna? Negi-kun? Please tell me what's going on…?"

After a moment of deliberation and shared glances of hesitation between them, Negi finally turned towards Konoka and released a tiny sigh through his thin lips as he eyed her nervously.

"Well, it's just... Hnn... I mean, Konoka-san, they're nothing but stories, so..."

"What Negi's trying to say is that the royal family have a reputation for abusing their slaves so badly, they often need to replace them every couple of months!"

Asuna had blurted out what Negi was trying to phrase delicately, resulting in a horrified gasp from Konoka as she recoiled in shock and fell back onto her bottom, lowering a trembling hand from her mouth as she enquired with wide eyes,

"Is that true? I-It can't be true... No, Setsuna-hime seemed kinda placid when I spoke to her earlier..."

Asuna and Negi both looked up as the girl mumbled half to herself.

"Wait wait wait, you spoke to that feather-brain princess today!? You never told me that!"

"Konoka-san! When did this happen!?"

Slightly taken aback at the barrage of questions she had incurred, Konoka raised one hand and began to wave it in a nervous, dismissive manner in front of her two friends.

"No no, it's nothing that exciting, I just bumped into her today while I was looking for that water..."

_Literally, _her mind added dryly.

"What the heck?! Konoka, I can't believe you actually met one of those things and never told me! And a freaking **Princess** to boot!"

Konoka shrunk back a bit and laughed nervously as the angry redhead leaned right in close to her face at the news. She sweatdropped.

"Uhh w-well yes I did, Asuna... I um, only didn't tell you about it because I thought it was...... eh, _unimportant_?"

"Gah!" Asuna smacked herself in the head at Konoka's sheepish look, muttering under her breath about something that sounded suspiciously like 'airhead' and after a moment reached out and grasped Konoka's hands, all traces of annoyance gone and leaving nothing but total seriousness.

"Look, Konoka, I don't know what happened to you today that pulled the wool over your eyes about that princess, but please promise me," She tightened her grip on Konoka's hands, pulling her forward slightly.

"Please be careful in there. Not many people have ever been inside that place, but the few who have talk about the horrible way they're treated by those things."

Konoka paled, feeling a bit nauseous at the information.

"And.... And Setsuna-hime is the one doing this?"

Asuna bit her lip, releasing Konoka's hands as she reached up to fiddle with one orangish-red lock of hair.

"Uuuummm..."

Negi pulled himself forward onto his knees, the sudden rustling movement causing both girls to snap their eyes to him as he began to speak up.

"The thing is, Konoka-san, Setsuna-hime is often away on campaigns and seldom ever mentioned due to her absence. Even so, her brother and even the king himself, not to mention the royal advisors and palace workers all _hate_ us. To them, Konoka-san, we may as well be stray dogs and I just couldn't bear to see them treat you badly..."

The boy trailed off, gazing at Konoka sadly. Konoka tried to flash a reassuring smile as she gently hugged the young slave.

"Shh, I'll be fine Negi-kun. Remember, if they do anything to hurt me anyway, I always have my healing powers right?"

As she watched her two friends hugging, Asuna sighed loudly and made a show of pouting, causing Konoka to giggle and reach over to hug her too.

"Konoka, you're like the physical embodiment of innocence and the chance that we'll have to watch these things slowly break your spirit day by day will be.... Ggh, kinda like watching a puppy getting kicked in the teeth, you know?"

Konoka released a short amused breath, finishing with a smile as she pulled back from their hug. Negi and Asuna were both eyeing her worriedly.

"I know you're worried about me guys, but I'll be fine. If I could survive the orphanage, I can survive in here."

Asuna wrinkled her brow.

"Orphanage?"

Konoka blinked back at her before realising that Asuna indeed had no knowledge about her father's disappearance.

"Oh, that's right Asuna, after you and the rest of the children went missing most of the men from our village joined the king in search of the gateway, but...."

She trailed off, looking at the straw that she fiddled with in her hands before taking a deep breath and plastering on a weak smile.

"But they were reported missing a few years ago. We were told that they were most likely slain by the demons..."

As Asuna and Negi sat quietly, unsure of what to say to the girl, Konoka herself began to slip back into her thoughts again.

_That's right, how could I have forgotten... these things killed daddy, how stupid was I to think that they could ever be okay..._

Two brown orbs were raised to meet Negi's gaze.

"Negi-kun, how is it that you're able to be friends with that... Kotaro boy when he's so cruel to Asuna like that?"

Negi smiled uneasily, glancing at Asuna's once again miffed expression as he laughed nervously.

"Well, Kotaro-kun is just a boy who is training to be one of the royal soldiers, but since he's only ten he gets stuck with the small duties like supervising us slaves," Negi paused, before smiling.

"But _because_ he's young, he hasn't really built up a strong hatred towards us yet like the others have. He's my friend, but as you saw with Asuna just then he still has traces of that violent streak that he gets from his superiors..."

Asuna snorted.

"Yeah, give it time though. He's alright now just because Negi is friends with everyone and has talked him 'round, but he's getting worse each day."

"Well, um, that's true Asuna-san."

Looking down at her hands, which rested in her lap, Konoka sighed. Shaking her head with a small, emotionless laugh, she began to mutter to herself.

"Just my luck.... I'm here for a day, and I'm already being forced into the worst torture imaginable... Wow, guess I'm just uber lucky, huh?"

Sharing a worried glance between them, Asuna and Negi tried to cheer the mage up with assurances that the torture stories were circulated about the royal prince, and that Setsuna herself may in fact be okay.

Asuna was withholding her real opinion, of course, but it was enough to brighten Konoka's mood considerably and encourage her to happily chat about how tolerating Setsuna had been, even after they crashed head-first into each other.

Needless to say, that particular piece of information sent both Negi and Asuna into fits of panic, dreading that the supposed "hand maid" job was merely a way to lure Konoka into the palace so she could enact revenge.

Laughing awkwardly, Konoka tried to dispel her friend's worry as she patiently explained how 'totally non-homicidal' Setsuna-hime seemed, and after a long night of shared worries and nerves the trio finally found themselves exhausted from the both day's work and the shock of Kotaro's announcement, laying down in their pathetic bedding. Konoka herself remained awake for some time, staring up at a mouldy patch of ceiling as she fought off the last few pulls of sleep while she contemplated the next day.

_I'll be fine, she really didn't seem like the type to beat people up... And if she does, I always have my healing._

Smiling at her thoughts, Konoka continued to listen to the deep breathing of the people around her as her hand gently found it's way to rest upon the pouch at her side.

_And if necessary, I always have these to help me out...._

* * *

As the twin suns sat atop the horizon, sinking further with each passing minute and allowing the enormous golden moon it's reign over the sky, Setsuna finally allowed her aching hands to place the sword back into it's sheath at her hip. Her breathing fast and shallow, she decided to quit her training for yet another night.

Setsuna was a trained warrior - No matter if she was finally home and away from the battlefield, her body still itched for action. Her blood simmered and yearned for combat.

And besides, it wasn't as though she'd come home of her own volition. No, her father had fallen ill and it was her duty as the royal daughter to come home and be present as he passed.

Not that anyone really cared, anyway. It was just another cycle for the Uzoku people, the king to pass and a new to come into power. And with the opportunities presented in the new land, so-dubbed Flipworld, most of the people's attention was focused on potential purchasing and investing in the land that was sure to be conquered.

Setsuna would be the one leading the armies and conquering that very land.

So far, their scouts had confirmed that the alternate realm was rich in natural resources, the planet itself was new and fresh, and the current dominant life form was weak enough to usurp and rule over.

Thinking of the humans brought Setsuna's thoughts back to that one slave girl - Konoka, had it been? - and the look of absolute terror that had befallen her features as she gazed up at Setsuna from her place, bowed at her feet.

Setsuna sighed as she ran her fingers through her sweat-soaked hair and thrust her wings out, feeling the cool breeze rustle her feathers as she took flight and headed back towards the palace.

Flying was as natural as breathing for the Uzoku demons and as if to incorporate this fact, many of their buildings were countless stories high, sporting numerous balconies that allowed for easy sky access.

Upon one such balcony of the palace, Setsuna landed lightly on her heels. Walking briskly into the room, _her_ own room, the winged princess fumbled with the fabric of her belt, eager to undress and wash the sweat and grime from her body that had collected during the day's training.

Sparing a glance around her somewhat bare and spotlessly clean room, Setsuna allowed a low chuckle to rumble deep in her throat as she thought about her new maid tomorrow.

_Perhaps I should mess this place up a little, if only to give the girl something to do when she gets here…_

As she stripped down into breast bindings alone, hakama messily pooled about her ankles, Setsuna stepped out of the training wear and trotted off towards the impossibly bathing room that had been prepared before her arrival.

As she unwound the last of the restricting cloth that bound her chest, the princess bit back a sigh of pure respite as she stepped gracefully into the steaming water and allowed the scented water to envelop her entire person as she settled herself into a sitting position against one side of the expansive pool.

Leaning her head back, dark hair with the hint of white falling back over the side and the tips of it dipping into the water, the demon closed twin red eyes and allowed herself to cast her mind back to the earlier events of the day.

***** FLASHBACK *****

Breathing heavily, Setsuna used her sword as a prop while it was wedged into the ground, using its support to push herself out of her crouching position and onto her feet.

Drawing her weapon from the forest floor, Setsuna's enhanced hearing picked up the sound of feet moving across the grass close to where she was training.

Abandoning her katas, the calm warrior turned around and cocked her head, trying to peer through the trees and find out just who was interrupting her for a second time today.

Something akin to interest welled up inside her as she idly wondered if it was the slave girl again.

Watching intently for a flash of chocolate hair to become visible, the warrior hissed a disappointed breath as her sensitive nose picked up the scent of a fellow demon.

_Hn. Not her._

Sheathing her sword, Setsuna wiped the sweat from her near-blistering hands (a result of gripping her hilt too tightly) and began to walk towards the sound of the other person.

By the time she'd reached the outer limits of the trees and the figure had appeared from over the hill, the young guardsboy immediately dropped into a bow upon sighting her.

"Ah, good evening Setsuna-hime!"

Nodding, the princess walked up until she stood directly above the boy, regarding him while he remained in his bowing position.

She was used to it – It was Uzoku custom to bow your respect to authorative figures, remaining so until you are dismissed by said authorative figure.

And who was more authorative than the royal family?

Withholding a sigh, Setsuna felt a stab of pity for the young boy who was visibly nervous to be in her presence. Really, was the army recruiting so young now?

Setsuna knew what it was like to serve as a warrior from a tender age – it had robbed her of a childhood, and it stirred something akin to sympathy in her as she watched this boy.

"Stand up, no need to stay down there for so long."

Blinking with a start of surprise, the boy climbed to his feet and stood stiffly, back rigid and expression holding a determination to please his princess.

_Heh, they're all the same. None of them even know me, yet because of my title they're all so eager to obey my every word and throw themselves at my feet every time I so much as walk past…_

Smiling a little, Setsuna thought of that girl again.

Really, was she so intimidating? Well, she supposed that the humans who have been plucked from their homes and forced into servitude _would_ be at least a tad wary of her, but maybe if she had enough chance to prove to the human that she was capable of … well, _civility_, then….

_Then what?_

Setsuna half frowned to herself, running the tip of her tongue over her fangs as she tried to figure out just why she was actually caring about this ridiculous subject.

She supposed it must've been the similarity. Sure, humans and uzoku were of a completely different species, minimal similarity there, but if there was one thing Setsuna was accustomed to, it was the lingering thought of being below others.

Technically, as a Princess, Setsuna was far above her people in terms of status and respect. Although, being one half of a set of albino twins was something that had caused a great stir when she was a child.

To the uzoku, wings were a symbol of pride. They represented the Uzoku people, and to have such a travesty as two fledgling _white_ children be born into such a position was seen as a great disappoint amongst her people. And the fact that such abominations were of royal blood, it was near sin!

Their father, Dynamis, was immediately labeled a weak failure as a monarch, unable to even produce quality offspring. For years of her childhood, Setsuna and her brother were on the verge of having their birthrights revoked from them, extreme pressure from both the king's own advisors and his people to kill off his deformed children and conceive more.

Eventually, it was decided that the twins would be spared and even allowed to carry their royal titles – as long as both of them proved to be worthy in the people's eyes.

And prove she did – Although it robbed her of a normal childhood, Setsuna chose to induct herself into the military forces and train as a warrior. She discovered her efficiency of the blade, and soon accomplished mastery of the katana.

And gradually, throughout the years, she gained acceptance amongst her people. Her brother did too, for that matter.

He was a trained soldier like Setsuna, although unlike herself he was less of a front line warrior and more of a strategist, it was found.

Thoughts of her brother made Setsuna frown even more, the emotions playing across her face somewhat bewildering the young guardsboy who was still stood before her, still waiting nervously for dismissal.

"….. Uh, begging your pardon, Setsuna-hime…"

Startled back into reality, Setsuna felt a rush of slight embarrassment flare through her as she realised that she had zoned out mid-conversation and coughed a little into her fist to try and mask the humiliation.

"Err, yes, um… Yes?"

"May I please be excused from your presence, Setsuna-hime? I was ordered by my commander to round up the rest of the slaves before complete nightfall, so…"

Setsuna nodded, turning away from the boy completely so as to hide that tiny bit of lingering flush on her cheekbones as she opened her mouth to dismiss him.

Until a thought struck her like a bolt of lightning.

Spinning back around, Setsuna went to ask a question, hesitated, then tentatively continued with,

"You work with the humans?"

Blinking in surprise, the boy quickly pulled himself into another quick bow of the head.

"Yes, Hime."

"And, uh, if I were to describe one of them to you, you'd be able to locate them for me?"

Here, Kotaro's brow furrowed as he stirred in confusion, not quite sure what his princess was asking of him.

"You..... what, you mean like do I know how to tell them apart?"

Scrunching her eyes shut, Setsuna massaged the bridge of her nose as Kotaro looked on sheepishly. She knew it was going to be hard to explain this to the boy. Really, since when would royalty want to single out a filthy monkey like one of the humans? It would be considered degrading for someone of her status to associate with a slave.

No wonder Inugami Kotaro was having difficulty understanding her request.

"Look, there's this human girl called Konoka somewhere around here - Uh, long dark hair? Brown?"

Kotaro just stared at her, at a loss of how to answer. Setsuna sighed. As if one of the guards would actually know each one by name. She was so stupid sometimes.

Re-adjusting her hakama tie, Setsuna just shook her head in a 'don't worry about it' gesture as she turned away from the boy.

"Never mind. I didn't really expect you to know anyway, I was just hoping you might've known which one it was that passed by my training grounds earlier... Yes, you're dismissed."

Although he had been given the go-ahead to resume his duties, Kotaro remained rooted to the spot as he ran that brief description through his mind, mouth moving silently as he tried to recall why 'passed by my training grounds earlier' and 'long brown hair' seemed familiar to him. As Setsuna continued walking away, preparing to perform just a few last katas before retiring for the night, something in Kotaro's mind clicked.

"Ah! Wait - Setsuna-hime! This human you're talking about, with the dark hair.... She was carrying a bucket?"

Setsuna stopped and faced him again, absent-mindedly rubbing the painful spot on her elbow that had collided with said bucket as she nodded in affirmation.

"Oh, well, in that case, I think I know which one you're talking about. I sent her around here earlier to fetch some water, if it's the one I'm thinking of."

Inwardly rejoicing at the fact, Setsuna allowed an odd little smile to twist onto her lips as she nodded again, more enthusiastically.

"Yes, yes that one!"

Kotaro grinned toothily, proud that he'd helped serve his princess.... even though a part of him wondered why on earth she was asking about a human in the first place.

"Yes, I want that girl assigned to my quarters as my personal maid as of tomorrow morning."

Instantaneously, the grin on his face dropped.

_What...?_

After blinking himself out of temporary shut down, Kotaro hastily dipped his head in another short bow.

"Y-yes Setsuna-hime! Right away, Setsuna-hime!"

With a grateful smile, Setsuna nodded curtly at the boy and watched as he took flight and headed back in the direction he'd come from, hopefully on his way to inform that girl in person. Setsuna's little smile grew just that little bit bigger.

_What a shock this'll be for the little thing. Hope she doesn't die from a heart attack by merely being in my presence... She was nervous enough as it was earlier. _

Setsuna allowed herself a tiny chuckle as she tapped her fingers along her sword's hilt.

_Well, she'll have to get over it sooner or later, because we'll be seeing a lot of each other very soon..._

************* END FLASHBACK *************

A sharp series of taps on her door caused Setsuna to sit upright, water dripping down her body as she twisted around and peered over her shoulder.

"Yes? You may enter."

With a minute creak, the door was pushed open and a tanned face peered into the room.

"Setsuna-hime, your brother has requested your presence at tonight's supper. He is downstairs waiting for you now."

Setsuna groaned to herself as her messenger's smooth voice delivered this disappointing piece of news. Turning around completely, resting her front and arms against the side of the enormous bath, the princess shot her companion a pleading look.

"And there's no way I can skip it...? You can't make up some sort of excuse for me, Mana?"

Smiling wryly, her messenger shook her head and moved herself fully into the room.

"I'm sorry, but you already stood him up for breakfast and lunch. He is pretty intent on having you there."

"Stubborn, you mean."

"Must run in the family."

"Hey!"

Laughing a little at her friend's jest, recieving a smirk in return, Setsuna eventually moved to sit up in the water and prepared to climb out. She heaved an exaggerated sigh.

"Alright alright, tell him to expect me in a few minutes."

"As you wish, Setsuna-hime."

* * *

The young man seated at one end of the table, hands politely laced and resting on his lap, looked up as the large dining hall doors were pushed open and his sister entered the room, striding across the carpeted floor and over to her seat.

Like Setsuna, he sported a pair of pristine white wings, complete with a full head of somewhat long snowy hair that dipped just above his shoulders. Nodding a greeting to his sister as she pulled her chair out, receiving a curt glance in return, the man waited until his twin was seated before speaking.

"Good evening, Setsuna ne-san."

Her expression clearly showing her disinterest in the conversation, Setsuna reached up a hand to scratch behind her ear as she returned the greeting.

"And same to you, Tertium."

A small smile crept onto his lips.

"What, no 'Ni-san' for me?"

Setsuna rolled her eyes.

"Okay.... Tertium ni-san. I see you've already sat yourself down in Father's seat. He's not dead yet, you know."

Chuckling, the young man moved his elbow onto the table and rested his chin on the palm of his hand as his eyes remained fixed on his sister.

"I see you've dyed your hair again, ne-san. There's still a streak of white peeking through, though. You should give up on trying to hide your colour."

Setsuna looked up, meeting his blood red gaze with her matching own as she clenched a fist under the table, out of sight. The last thing she wanted was to lose composure in front of him. It's what _he_ wanted.

"Don't try to change the subject."

Unmoving, Tertium remained in a staredown against the girl until eventually he smiled again and straightened up in his seat. He stretched one arm out to fiddle with one of the ornate napkins as he dropped his eyes to the table.

"Have you even been to see him yet since you've been back?"

"What has that got to do with anything?"

"He's ill, Setsuna. Everyone knows it's a matter of time until he wastes away. With him in this state, Kurt-san and the other advisors are trying to exert their authority over me and -"

Setsuna interrupted him with a short breath of amused laughter, causing him to flick his eyes up and peer at her from underneath his fringe.

"So? It's their job as our father's advisors to temporarily maintain the kingdom until he dies. Just because _you're_ desperate for him to drop off, doesn't mean that you'll be able to take control of everything just yet...."

She sent him a snide glance.

"... and just because you've sat in his seat at the head of the table, doesn't mean you've suddenly become the next ruler. Last I heard, there were two royal contenders for the throne anyway."

Tertium's thin lips tightened into a barely-masked frown.

"Oh. So you still haven't given up on this ridiculous notion that you might be chosen?"

Setsuna merely shrugged as she began to pour herself a glass of water from one of the bottles in the centre of the table.

"Setsuna, you're a warrior. You'll not be able to handle the pressures of running an entire -"

"Don't tell me what I can't handle."

The princess cut him off with a snap, reaching up to her lips and taking a small sip before continuing over the rim of her glass. Her breath ghosted over the chilled water, causing a tiny rise of mist.

"I trust father's decision. When it comes time for him to choose an heir, only then will I acknowledge one of us as the next in line. Until then, don't even bother trying to get me onto your side by twisting your words and attempting to play the victim, ni-san. Remember, I know your mind games. I'm immune to them."

Tertium disgested her words fully for a few moments before he opened his mouth to respond, however fortunately for a relieved Setsuna they interrupted by the doors from the kitchen swinging open and a group of Uzoku servers bustling into the room carrying platters of food.

Intending to resume their conversation later, the young albino found himself unable as his sister finished the last of her dinner and, with a mere tip of the head in good night to him, promptly left the hall.

* * *

Konoka made a small noise in her sleep, akin to a soft groan as her mind gradually surfaced into consciousness and her eyes fluttered open. Unfortunately for her, she awoke abruptly to the sight of someone leaning over her and peering into her face.

With a loud squeal, the mage rolled onto her back and bolted upright, causing the young man above her to shriek in surprise as well as he nearly lost his footing from being startled. Curling her legs up, Konoka wildly pointed at the man with wide eyes as she demanded accusingly.

"W-why the heck were you watching me sleep?!"

Albert Chamomile dropped onto his knees in front of her, raising a finger to lips with one hand and making a loud shushing noise as she waved his other hand around frantically.

"No no! You've got it wrong, 'jo-chan! Aniki asked me to wake you up early because apparently you've got palace duty today!"

Konoka, racing heartbeat slowly calming, dropped her defensive position enough to tilt her head and furrow her brow.

"Aniki....?"

"You know. The Negster."

"Ah! Negi-kun?"

Nodding, the skinny young man flashed her a grin as he reached out a hand. Konoka glanced at it warily.

"Because we never got to properly meet before," he explained with a small cough at the end, hesitant to relive the embarrassing meeting they had the previous day when he walked in on them bathing.

"Call me Chamo. Ev'ryone does."

Now smiling, Konoka nodded cheerfully as she grasped his hand and shook it.

"Konoka. Konoe Konoka."

A small "_eep_" escaped her lips as Chamo pulled her forward unexpectedly, drawing her hand up to his lips and placing a quick kiss onto the back of it.

"Nice to meet ya, Konoka 'jo-chan."

Sweatdropping, yet still trying to retain a polite smile, Konoka pulled her hand back and absent-mindedly wiped it against the fabric of her tunic.

"Uh, yes, nice to meet you too Chamo-kun... now, Negi asked you to wake me up early?"

Humming a sound of confirmation, Chamo tipped his head in the direction of the still snoozing ten year old and Asuna, miraculously still asleep even after Konoka's initial scream, and then looked back at Konoka. He shot her another cheeky grin.

"I work as a gardener in the front courtyard, so I offered to take you to the palace with me after Aniki mentioned to me late last night that you were working there now."

"That's very kind of you, Chamo-kun."

"Oh, it's nothing. Anything to help a chickie in distress. I'm a gentleman that way."

Smiling awkwardly, Konoka just dazedly nodded and the pair sat in silence for a moment before the younger girl began to climb to her feet.

"Well, since it's too early for breakfast and everyone else is still asleep, how about we go now?"

"Was just gonna suggest it!"

Shooting to his feet first, Chamo stretched out a helping hand and pulled Konoka up before leading her towards the doors. The pair chatted idly along the way, mostly about Chamo's experiences in the demon realm and as one of the few slaves who tend to the gardens while they walked up the stairs that led from the underground slave's quarters and into the fresh air.

_Too fresh, _Konoka thought to herself sulkily as she rubbed the goosebumps that had sprung up along her arms. The morning was crisp and chill, sky mostly a pinkish hue as the suns had yet to fully rise and enflame it to it's normal crimson shade.

Konoka allowed a tiny gasp of amazement to trail from her lips as they reached the front of the palace.

Huge was an understatement.

Konoka thought the impressive building was as long as her entire village had been; and twice that length in height. Chamo wrapped his arm around her shoulder as she drank in the view.

"Looks pretty neat up close, eh? These demon guys are pretty foul in general, but their architects are freaking miracle workers!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Chamo quickly glanced around and made sure there were no Uzoku lingering about within earshot of his words. Had there been, especially a guard, he would've been as good as labeled a dead man.

Shrugging off his arm, Konoka stepped forward and twirled around, cocking her head and flashing her escort a dazzling smile.

"Thank you so much for showing me the way here, Chamo-kun! I guess the rest is up to me to find.... Um, please wish me luck!"

The man laughed and ran a hand through his pale blonde locks.

"Aw, think nothing of it babe. Hope your day goes well! See you at dinner, 'jo-chan!"

Waving until he had turned around and began walking back to his post, Konoka watched his retreating form for a few moments before facing the palace entrance again and taking in a deep, shuddering breath. The building, while beautiful, was nothing short of intimidating either due to it's colossal scale.

_I can do this... just one day at a time, Konoka. Face your fate head on. Asuna and the other guys have survived so far..._

_**But none of them were forced to endure the cruelty of the slave-murdering Royal family, **_a dark part of her mind added sneakily.

Shaking her head to dispel the unwelcome thoughts, Konoka pushed back a wave of nauseous butterflies in her stomach as she tepidly trotted towards the enormous main entrance.

After a few fruitless moments of trying to find some kind of doorknob, Konoka sighed and drew a fist, sharply rapping on the reverberating wood and steel three times.

When nothing immediately happened, Konoka made to go off and find someone to help her when suddenly there was sound of a large bolt being wrenched up and the outrageously heavy door was swung open.

Standing in the doorway were a pair of ridiculously childish-looking Uzoku, sporting the official royal crested armour and dark hair made up in pigtails with pink tips.

The one with ribbons in her hair stepped forward and jabbed a finger into Konoka's chest.

"HALT! What business does a _human_ have entering our establishment?!"

Her words were interrupted as her pouting twin jumped forward and grabbed hold of her sister's arm, flicking her in the head with a forefinger.

"No, Fumika! That makes it sound like a restaurant! You have to say, What business does a human have with our _Royal Alcazar_!"

"... Oh! Well then... that!"

Konoka just stood dead still, hand still raised and mouth still slightly agape as if she were about to pose a question. In a moment of resorting to instincts, she decided to stay absolutely still in the face of these strange creatures. It was basic survival tips... Stay still, make no sudden movements.

Shuffling her wings, the former twin known as Fumika tilted her head to the side and regarded the human quizzically.

"Fuka, is it broken?"

"One must ask what this pair is doing answering the main doors without permission, de gozaru."

Konoka and the young twins all gave a start at the unexpected voice that floated out at them from within the palace. Spinning around, both young uzoku laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of their necks as a taller, more dangerous-looking soldier strode into view. She wore the same kind of armour as the soldiers Konoka had seen during her first day, minus the frightening head mask.

Her powerful-looking wings were folded up against her back as she leant on one hip, arms folded and raising a dark eyebrow at the pair who were now scuttling off with a "sorry, Kaede-ne!"

Shaking her head, the taller warrior chuckled under her breath as she watched her two trainees leave before turning her thin gaze onto the shaken young girl still hovering around the front steps.

"Konoka?" was all that the uzoku spoke, and when the girl in question nodded her head the soldier merely gestured her into the building with a toss of the head. Closing the doors behind them, the soldier began to briskly head towards one of the many flights of stairs, leaving Konoka to hurriedly follow. The younger girl's head was still spinning at the sheer expanse of the place - Winding staircases and red-carpeted hallways twisting in a labyrinth of directions, and that was only the main entrance foyer.

The tall demon leading her through the building - Kaede, as the other two had called her - said nothing to Konoka and didn't even bother slowing her pace to acknowledge Konoka's half-running to keep up. With a stab of misery, the healer knew that it was due to the lowest regard in which humans were held in this world. It was almost hard for her to stomach.

Eventually, after an exhausting trek through countless identical hallways, the pair reached an elaborate floor with an intricately detailed darkwood door. Kaede stopped in front of it and reached up to knock, before hesitating and dropping her arm again.

"Stay here," she muttered to Konoka as though commanding a puppy dog as she briefly flitted down the hallway. After a minute or two of nervous shifting on Konoka's end, the soldier returned with yet another female in tow. This one wore her dark hair long and a variation of the royal garb without the silver armour. It wore like a full red version of a miko's uniform back in Konoka's world, although the royal family's crest was woven into the fabric as a small emblem on the front left shoulder.

The newcomer approached Konoka and bore a black and golden gaze into her, making her begin to visibly tremble.

"... This is definitely the one she chose?" the new demon enquired, not even turning to look at Kaede as she inspected the frightened young healer from head to toe.

"Nin nin."

"How can you be sure?"

"She identifed herself as Konoka, Tatsumiya-san."

Shrugging, Mana breathed out a sigh of unease as she turned and pulled a key from her robes, using it to open the door they were stood in front of.

"I don't know why Setsuna-hime would waste her time with one of these, but...."

Pushing the door open fully, the palace worker known as Mana lazily gestured with her hand for Konoka to enter the room. The girl did so, nearly stumbling over her own two feet as she hurried into the room and causing both uzoku to roll their eyes.

Once inside, Konoka let her chocolate brown eyes trail over everything inside the enormous room. While the room itself was an uninteresting shade of white, the wall-sized mirror and numerous hanging ceiling lamps immediately gave her the impression that every instance of the uzoku culture was extravagent. At least, their royalty.

Hearing the door creak behind her, Konoka spun around to see Mana pulling it shut, jolting her into a mini panic.

"Oh, wait...!"

"Setsuna-hime is down at breakfast at the moment. I'll inform her of your arrival and she will probably be up shortly. In the meantime... find something to do."

And with a soft click, the door was pulled shut and a minute scrape and clunking noise confirmed that the lock had been turned again. Taking in deep calming breaths, Konoka fidgeted with her hands as she surveyed the entire room, still a tad too hesitant to actually walk around and look. A few minutes of regaining her nerves, the young orphan began to slowly shuffle about the room and inspect the different furnishings and items scattered about the place.

A large open door at the end led to a balcony, she saw, with a pair of white curtains fluttering gently in the breeze as it's own odd form of door. Another separate door, on the opposite side of the room, sat slightly ajar and from Konoka could make out was an entrance to some sort of bathroom.

Eyes still examining the walls, Konoka didn't realise she'd reached the bed until she went to step forward and smacked her shin on the wooden frame, causing her to stumble forwards and fall over onto it's soft covers. Panicking, she yanked herself backwards and used her arms to push herself up, for some unknown reason embarrassed at the fact she'd fallen onto the hime's bed.

_Whoops._

Standing at the foot of bed, Konoka spared a glance back at the still-silent door before biting her lip and reaching out with her hand, delicately pressing it flat against the soft white covers of the king-sized bedstead.

"Geez, these demons really do live in luxury..." she breathed to herself, moving one knee up to press upon the covers before eventually moving to sit on it altogether. Slightly bouncing up and down on the mattress, Konoka giggled and decided to take it one step further.

_Can't hurt, nobody's here._

Twisting sideways, the orphan allowed herself to topple flat on her back and flung her arms out to the side as she lay spread eagle on the quilt. Closing her eyes, she released a tiny, content laugh as she felt her entire body sinking into the softness of the sleepspread. It made one heck of a stark difference to the bundles of straw she'd slept on for the last two nights, anyway.

_Wow, I don't think I've __**ever **__slept on a bed that felt this good... Hnnn I could so get used to this..._

".... Uh...."

Snapping her eyes open at the hesitant sound, Konoka flung herself upright as though she'd been burnt and fearfully looked over at the door. It... was still closed?

_I didn't hear anyone enter...!_

The sound of a throat being cleared drew Konoka's attention to the balcony, where a yukata-clad Setsuna-hime had just walked in from with wings still bristled from the flight up. Konoka made an odd strangled sound as she felt a sick feeling of dread thrashed about in her belly and her face burning with mortification.

Setsuna-hime, on the other hand, looked somewhat perturbed herself with a light embarassed flush staining her cheeks as she stared back at the shell-shocked mage. With a squeak, Konoka threw herself completely off of the bed and onto the floor in a kneeling position, clapping her hands together and ducking her head.

"I - Forgive me, Setsuna-hime, a-and... good morning to you!"

Setsuna blinked at the sudden movement and the rushed words that were all but shouted at her, and actually gave a bit of a start when the girl unexpectedly launched into more.

"I mean uh, good morning your highness! I am here to serve you just as you requested and um, clean your... room! And like, house and stuff! And um, I'm not sure what else you wanted me to do but please don't hesitate to ask anything of me - Your highness! - and yeah... um..."

She trailed off, not really knowing what else to add to her spiel and inwardly cursing herself a thousand times over for her lack of knowledge when it came to greeting royalty. Asuna had told Konoka that there was all sorts of bizarre customs the uzoku had, and certain things that were considered offensive to them, and Konoka was just kicking herself for not being smart enough to ask around about these formalities before coming here today.

If the princess ended up killing her, she really didn't want it to be over something as stupid as saying "Um" too many times.

The princess in question, however, cautiously observed her excitable new pet until she was quite sure it wasn't about to burst into more gibberish before she stepped forward and opened her mouth to speak.

"I do have one request."

"Anything, your highness!"

"Stop screaming 'your highness' at me every sentence."

"O-oh..."

"In fact, stop throwing yourself on the floor when you see me, too. There's no point in having a cleaner with a broken arm from flinging herself at the ground, ne?"

Konoka looked up uncertainly at the demon, unsure if what she had just in the princess' voice was actually _joking sarcasm_?

Setsuna tried to smile at her new maid, determined to make her get over her intimidation. To Konoka, however, all she saw was a set of fangs being bared at her and it was enough to make her tremble and stand up shakily, head bowed.

Confused, Setsuna cocked her head.

_Humans are threatened by smiles? Hm. Weird species. Perhaps a smile is a sign of aggression in their species?_

Watching the girl in front of her awkwardly standing there, Setsuna released a short breath of contemplation as she tried to think of another way to open conversation. With a sudden thought, Setsuna remembered the thing she had brought up with her from one of the treasury rooms - a small item tucked in her pocket that was brought through the gateway during one of the raids.

Since it looked small and insignificant, Setsuna had snatched it earlier in the morning as a gift for her new maid, and took the opportunity now to hand it over.

Hopefully it would break the ice between the two.

"Girl - ah, _Konoka_. This was brought back with us from the flipworld. I'm unsure as to the purpose it serves, but accept it and possibly bask in the nostalgia I'm hoping it will stir."

Setsuna, pleased with the friendly-sounding wording she'd just used in her little speech, made sure she remained stony-faced as she pulled the item out of her pocket and handed it over. She didn't want to go frightening the girl with any smiles again anytime soon.

The brown-haired girl raised her head and stared at the tiny item sitting in the demon's outstretched palm.

She blinked, then glanced up at Setsuna-hime's stoic expression, then glanced back down at it. Eventually she reached out and took hold of the tiny pair, drawing them back and turning them over in her hands as she studied them. She traced one cracked lense with her fingertip before looking over to Setsuna again.

".... Glasses?"

The princess just shrugged, lazily pointing at the miniscule pair of eyeglasses she'd just handed over.

"I don't know, you tell me. It's totally foreign to me anyway, so it must be some kind of human-only technology."

Meeting the demon's gaze evenly, Konoka bit her lip and glanced back down at the gift, fighting against all her facial muscles not to crack a tiny smile at Setsuna's blunt indifference. About _glasses_, of all things.

Tentatively, Konoka reached up and sat the pair on the bridge of her nose, balancing them there for their lack of temple and earpieces. After steadying them, Konoka removed her fingertip and used both hands to gesture to the princess.

"See? Glasses. They help your vision."

Setsuna frowned and tilted her head this way and that as she studied the odd device. Raising an eyebrow, she let out a short amused breath as she folded her arms.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen."

"Huh? No, they're very helpful! A lot of us humans rely on these things..."

"... So they're weapons?"

"Ye- _No_!"

"Then they're pointless!"

"No no no, in our race, age makes the eyesight deteriorate and therefore glasses are required!"

Konoka, momentarily forgetting the fact that she was speaking to a terrifying demon princess, laughed and whipped the spectacles off her face, waving them in front of the now-smirking demon.

"Look, try them! You'll see, they magnify stuff."

Setsuna didn't answer, merely shot a glance at odd _glasses _that the human was dangling in front of her before raising an eyebrow again and shaking her head, smirk still present.

At the refusal, reality began to filter back into Konoka's mind and she realised that _Oooh my god I just argued with a demonic princess._

Before she had time to launch into an apology or something similar, Setsuna had stepped around her and headed towards one of the large set of drawers on which a scattering of books lay. As she sauntered past, she called out to Konoka.

"By the way, I prefer it when you act less timid like that. Try to keep like that, okay?"

Stammering, Konoka turned around and nodded a small bow.

"S-sure."

"Good."

Seizing a small novel from one of the many, Setsuna made her way back over to the bed and perched upon it, drawing her legs up underneath her and resting the book on her knees as she began to read. Konoka fidgeted for a moment, debating with herself on whether or not to ask what she should be doing, before Setsuna spared her nerves and her sultry voice broke the silence.

"Go ahead, you can start cleaning now."

"Okay."

A few moments passed before Setsuna glanced up again and realised that Konoka still hadn't moved. Blinking, she tried to figure out why the human girl was just lingering there, face and neck a curious shade of pink, looking back at her with big dark eyes that were full of nerves and shyness.

"..... Uhh, you can... start now?"

"Well um, start.... what, exactly? And, do you have any cleaning supplies...?"

Setsuna frowned in confusion, momentarily placing her book down as she quizzically regarded her maid.

"You know, like, clean the windows or something? And what the heck is a "cleaning supply?"

Konoka grinned sheepishly.

"Like, a cloth? Some soapy water maybe?"

"You _need_ all of that to clean?"

"Oh no, us humans have the ability to spray soapy water from our mouths."

"_Really_?!"

Setsuna sat bolt upright, book tumbling onto the floor forgotten as she stared at Konoka with renewed shock and intrigue. Konoka, realising that she had just used **SARCASM **against the princess, waved her hands in the air frantically as she began to panic again.

"Oh no, I'm sorry, I was - no, _wasn't _thinking when I said that! You see me and my friend used to use sarcasm on each other all the time and I just accidentally blurted it out and -"

"Ggh - Stop! You've started rambling again…"

"I'm _Sorry_!"

By this point Setsuna was up off of the bed, one step towards Konoka with her hands raised in a 'halt' motion once Konoka began the apology stream. Shaking her head, Setsuna shuffled her wings and straightened up as she lowered her hands again.

"Now - slowly this time! - What did you need to clean windows with?"

Konoka stared uncertainly at the princess. She seemed genuinely clueless, but even a domestic hazard like Konoka knew that the most basic form of cleaning required a cloth and some kind of fluid.

"You know.... A cloth to begin with? To wipe with?" For effect, Konoka began moving her hand in a wishy-washy circular cleaning motion, causing Setsuna to chuckle under her breath and nod.

"Yes, I know what a cloth is. And soapy water, hn? I uh.... well, to be honest...."

Scratching the back of her neck and averting her eyes to the carpet, Setsuna felt a treacherous wave of heat begin to settle in her cheeks as she mumbled out her last piece of sentence with some embarrassment.

".... I don't know how windows are cleaned, so.... I just assumed it was something you did with only your hands."

Forgetting her place, Konoka giggled at the absurd mental image that accompanied those words.

"With your hands? What?"

She smiled when the demon ducked her head a tiny bit lower and spun around, stalking to the other side of the room in an attempt to keep the mage from seeing her rosy cheeks. _Didn't work, though._

With a quick call to Mana and a few minutes of waiting, a bucket of warm soapy water had been delivered to Setsuna's room, along with a few assorted cleaning rags. Lifting the bucket, Setsuna guided it towards the balcony where there were in fact a set of decorated glass doors behind the curtain - Konoka simply failed to notice them during her earlier inspection because they were left open for Setsuna's easy access.

Settling onto the outside, Konoka neatly tucked the tiny pair of glasses into her belt next to her black pouch, gently prodding it to make sure it was securely held. She then proceeded to shut the glass doors and dip one of the cloths into the water, soaking it thoroughly before lifting it and wringing it out. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she saw Setsuna-hime hovering nearby, watching her.

"Um, Setsuna-hime, you can go inside and finish reading while I do this if you like...."

Lifting her gaze from the bucket of water to Konoka's timid expression, Setsuna realised that this girl was _still_ frightened of her, and in her determination to prove to herself that she could ease Konoka's nerves, she did the unexpected thing and kneeled down beside Konoka, reaching for one of the rags and dipping it into the water while Konoka just watched her, mouth slightly agape.

Setsuna, wringing out her cloth, glanced up the human and flashed a shy smile.

"Uhh, I'd like to learn how to do this, actually."

Konoka tried to say 'Okay' but for some reason only a stunned gargle would come out so she settled for clamping her mouth shut and simply nodding her assent. The two began their task.

.... Only, after about ten minutes of giving herself wrist strain, did Setsuna point out the obvious.

"Um, I don't think these are getting any cleaner... In fact, now there's all these murky little streaks all over the glass. Are you sure we're doing it right?"

Slowing her movements to a stop, Konoka bent her head down and dropped her limp cloth back into the bucket with a splash, spraying her with stray droplets as she ran one shaky hand through her hair and shook her head slowly.

".... I don't know. I can't clean either... I know the basics, but I'm awful at it...."

Setsuna blinked at her once and then glanced back at the streak-covered glass pane she'd just 'cleaned.' With a sigh, she pulled her cloth back and used one fingertip to draw a little smiley face in the murky soap residue on the glass.

"Well, that was a huge waste of time then," Setsuna began, about to drop her own cloth back into the bucket when she caught sight of Konoka's trembling shoulders. She leaned forward, a bit concerned.

"Konoka?"

Inhaling a shaky breath, Konoka looked up at the demon with tears running down her cheeks, making Setsuna blink in surprise as the healer grabbed hold of the bucket and began to pack up.

"I'm so, so sorry Setsuna-hime, I know I'm useless, a-and now I've gone and ruined your windows and please don't hate me too much, I mean I-I know you people hate my species but_ please_-"

Setsuna fumbled into action when Konoka tried to stand up with the bucket in tow.

"Whoah whoah, wait where're you going...?"

In an attempt to stop the girl from getting up, Setsuna had reached forward and grasped her wrist tightly. Unfortunately all it achieved was a shift in balance and Konoka fell back onto her rear, the bucket flipping against her and pouring soapy water all over her orphanage clothes and spilling along the stone balcony floor and under the glass doors, soaking part of the bedroom carpet.

Setsuna, still holding onto Konoka's wrist with one hand, used her other one to pluck her shirt away from her body where it was beginning to plaster down - even Setsuna-hime wasn't spared in the soapy spill. Clicking her tongue at the gross feeling of wet fabric, Setsuna was about to suggest a bath for the both of them when Konoka suddenly burst into hysterical crying, scaring the hell out of Setsuna and making the demon yank her hand back from where it had been holding onto her.

With her face buried in her hands it was kind of hard for Setsuna to understand Konoka's muffled words in between the sobs, but after her exceptional uzoku hearing picked up the words "failure" and "going to kill me" she decided she needed to butt in.

"Hey, wait a minute, who said I was going to kill you?! Hey... Hey! Human! Listen to me!"

With Konoka in such a state that Setsuna's words were going unnoticed, the uzoku royalty flung herself forward and grasped her maid by the shoulders, shaking her roughly until she calmed down enough to look up and listen to her. Her breathing was still hitched slightly, but she was finally quiet enough for Setsuna to be heard.

"Look, I chose you to be my personal maid, right? So what if you didn't know how to clean a window – I mean, up until a short while ago, I thought you did it with your hands…"

Grinning somewhat sheepishly to try and emphasise her point, Setsuna began to relax when she saw Konoka flash a tiny back at her as she rubbed her eyes, suddenly embarrassed about crying as she pulled away from Setsuna. The uzoku girl couldn't care less though, she was too busy mentally storing the little correction that humans in fact seem to like smiles.

_First one must've been a fluke._

As she left Konoka to gather up the cleaning supplies and try to mop up what was left of the spill, Setsuna leaned back against the balcony ledge and merely observed her.

_Good one, Setsuna. You choose a completely useless human who can't clean a thing to be your maid..._

Eyes fixed on Konoka, who was on her knees wringing out all the spoilt cloths into the bucket, Setsuna allowed her gaze to slip down to the front of the girl's soaked outfit. The wet fabric clung to every curve of her body like a second skin, and the fact that her clothes were _white_ meant -

Shaking her head, Setsuna blushed like a beacon and turned her head sharply to the side, fixing her gaze on a spot on the far wall instead. No, as far as similarities in the two species were concerned, Setsuna knew it was not wise to linger on the more.... delicate areas of her new maid's anatomy. A bizarre attraction to her human slave was something that Setsuna _**did not**_want to have to deal with.

... No matter how transparent the front of her clothes were at the moment.

* * *

A/N: Yes, by Tertium I mean Fate-sama! Check him out in the manga when he fights Rakan and is in adult form - THAT is the exact Tertium in my fic.

Next chapter will be pure KonoSetsu development, so if you're still interested in the direction this story is heading and would like to see more then please leave me any feedback or suggestions!

Thanks :)


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